


Falling Is Like This

by madneto



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Fix-It, M/M, Minor Violence, Porn With Plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-26
Updated: 2011-12-14
Packaged: 2017-10-24 23:50:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/269293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madneto/pseuds/madneto
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What might have happened if Erik and Charles had actually acted on their feelings for one another.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> _i like my body when it is with your  
>  body. It is so quite a new thing.  
> Muscles better and nerves more.  
> i like your body. i like what it does,  
> i like its hows. i like to feel the spine  
> of your body and its bones, and the trembling  
> -firm-smooth ness and which I will  
> again and again and again  
> kiss, i like kissing this and that of you,  
> i like, slowly stroking the, shocking fuzz  
> of your electric fur, and what-is-it comes  
> over parting flesh…And eyes big love-crumbs,_
> 
>  _and possibly i like the thrill  
>  of under me you quite so new_
> 
> ee cummings

The first time Erik drew the comparison was completely by accident. In truth, he didn’t know how he had first heard of the story; _Le Petit Prince_ had been written after World War Two and Erik had no time for stories (especially ones for children) in his manhunt for Shaw. However, the book happened to be one of Charles’s favorites, and, after finding it in the mansion’s expansive library, something inexplicable had made him take it off the shelf and into his bedroom.

Now, as he sat reading in an armchair in his dimly lit room, he found himself identifying with the Little Prince. The Little Prince lived on his own planet, isolated and lonely from a very young age. Erik, who prided himself on having a very firm grasp of what was reality and what was fiction, dismissed these gnawing comparisons by brushing a hand quickly over his face before continuing to read.

 _I am merely reading this book because I am tired from training and I deserve some entertainment,_ Erik thought to himself. _Charles recommended it to me, and I respect Charles’s judgment._ In all actuality, Charles had only mentioned the book in an off-hand manner during one of their nightly chess games, but Erik chose to ignore this elaboration and instead focused all his energy on the words in front of him.

He did not realize just how much he was enjoying himself or how much of himself he had projected onto the character of the Little Prince until he found his rose. Immediately, Erik thought of Charles. His fragile, naïve, English rose- the blush that crept up Charles’s cheeks every time their hands would brush when Charles handed him his tumbler of scotch, or when Charles would encouragingly pat him on the arm or back after a particularly productive day of training. Then an image of Charles surfaced, one that Erik had secretly fantasized and tucked into the back of his mind; Charles blushing as he pulled away slowly after his and Erik’s lips had crashed together over the chessboard, outside after a training session, in Charles’s bedroom…

Erik snapped the book shut and blinked profusely to try and erase the image from his mind. This simply would not do. He pushed himself wearily out of his armchair, opened the door with a flick of his fingers, and trudged outside to the duck pond that rested on the fringe of the hedge maze. An ornate fountain, bronze and in the shape of several cherubs in vague romantic poses stood in the center, gently bubbling water from the lips and arrow-points of the figures. Erik frowned at the ridiculousness of it.

Flexing his fingers and planting his feet squarely apart for balance, he began to exert his powers on the pathetic excuse for art in front of him. Slowly, the fountain began to liquefy, revoltingly sweet expressions on the angels faces melting into their bodies and bows and arrows until all that was left was a floating bronze shapeless mass hovering over the water. He was so concentrated on his work that he didn’t notice he wasn’t alone.

“More training already, my friend?” a silky voice asked from several feet behind him and to his left.

Erik spun around. There was a loud splash as what used to be the fountain fell into the pond. “Charles!”

Charles’s hands flew up in a gesture of peace. “Sorry! Sorry! I thought you sensed me. I guess you were just too focused on destroying family heirlooms…”

Erik looked over his shoulder. There was still a giant ripple spreading out from where the statue had stood just moments before. Charles walked up by his side and looked out at the water, his eyes sparkling.

“I guess I should be thanking you,” he said, grinning conspiratorially. “It was quite hideous.”

Erik floundered, trying to find something to say. Charles’s sudden appearance had taken him by surprise, and now his apparent lack of concern for the property Erik had just destroyed puzzled him further. “I can fix it,” he said apologetically.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Charles replied, clapping a lingering hand on his back. “Although, if you’re up for a bit more training, why don’t you try building something out of it instead? Something maybe not so... sappy.”

Taking his cue, Erik raised his hands again. He could feel the hum of the bronze even while it was underwater. It rose easily and turned molten again. Erik really had no idea what he should make- he had never been one much of an artist. His creativity lay in more sinister departments. Feeling Charles’s eyes flicking expectantly from the metal to his face, he panicked a little and began forming the first thing that popped into his head.

Two small pieces rose up to the top of the sphere, forming into a small figure and a flower; a rose. The small figure was bent down, the fingers of one of his hands lightly brushing the petals of the flower in front of him. The circle they were standing on became rough with what ended up looking like small volcanoes sticking up here and there amongst a few baobab saplings. The Little Prince’s features became more and more defined until the resemblance between Erik’s new fountain and the sketches in the book back in his room was unmistakable. Carefully, Erik set the new statue back on the pipe that connected it to the water supply and smiled as water began pouring from the volcanoes. He lowered his hands.

“That’s very beautiful, Erik,” Charles said breathlessly. “Thank you.”

Erik turned to smile at him and was surprised at the softness in Charles’s eyes as he met them. “You’re welcome.” God, Erik hated when Charles looked at him like this; all sweet and pure and accepting, as if Erik was the most precious thing in the world.

Charles cocked his head slightly. “I didn’t think you’d be a fan of children’s books,” he teased.

Erik tried to fight the blush that was creeping up his neck to his ears and shrugged in an attempt to shake off Charles’s comment. “I’m not. But seeing as it came highly recommended from a friend-“

A feeling of warmth washed over him suddenly, presumably from Charles. “Highly recommended? I hardly remember mentioning it,” Charles replied, eyes widening playfully as he took a step forward experimentally. Erik did not draw back. He _could not_ draw back.

“Well… I was tired after dinner and figured… a little… escapism…” Erik faltered mid-sentence. Charles was drawing slowly closer. He nodded to show he was waiting for Erik to continue. “And it was… better than I expected.”

Damn! Charles could disarm an entire army with that crooked grin of his Erik thought as his pulse quickened. A crooked grin that kept advancing at a tantalizingly deliberate rate.

“Oh?” Charles’s eyes, Erik reflected with the analysis of one trying to reason their way in a purely un-reasonable situation, were so big they could be described as love-crumbs, coining the phrase of one of Erik’s preferred poets. “What was your favourite part then?”

“I quite liked the rose,” Erik admitted. Lying would be pointless. Even if Charles wasn’t in his mind at this particular moment, he would surely read any prevarication on his face. “It was tragic how she…” he faltered again, resisting the urge to brush a lock of hair that had fallen in front of one of Charles’s electric blue eyes that were so close. “How the rose didn’t exactly return the feelings the Little Prince had for her,” he finished lamely. A look of confusion flashed across Charles’s face, and with an air of nonchalance, he brushed the stray hair from Charles’s eyes. Charles grinned at him again as Erik suddenly heard a voice in his mind.

 _“You know, my darling, you’re thinking very loudly.”_

Erik froze.

 _“Such lovely pictures too. Please, don’t stop.”_

Charles’s fingers interlocked smoothly with the hand that Erik had just used to brush the hair out of his face.

 _“In fact, you’ve been thinking pretty loudly all evening. That’s how I knew you were out here.”_

Erik cursed internally at his inability to control his fantasies, or at least he would have if he thought he had any brain function left.

 _“It’s okay,”_ Charles urged mentally. _“You don’t have to fight it.”_

It was as if something within Erik broke. He brought one hand up to cup Charles’s jaw as the other dropped Charles’s hand to pull him in to close the remaining distance between them.

Their lips crashed together, noses bumping unceremoniously as they tasted and explored each other frantically, Charles looping his arms around Erik’s neck as their mental floodgates opened simultaneously. Perhaps it was the suddenness of the whole thing, or perhaps it was the added physical contact, or perhaps it was simply that neither of them was holding anything back anymore.

Myriad images flicked through each of their minds, and to be honest, Erik couldn’t tell which ones were his and which ones belonged to Charles. The realization provided him with a strange sort of comfort, as it meant that Charles wanted all the things he wanted, something Erik had never thought possible. He gripped him tighter and did his best to stifle a moan as Charles slipped his tongue deftly into his mouth.

They fell into a gentler sort of rhythm, neither one of them fought for the control of the kiss. They simply shared each other’s mouths, each of them wanting to both claim and be claimed by the other. Erik licked along Charles’s bottom lip and Charles sucked in a shuddering breath before running his tongue along the length of Erik’s, hands tangling in his hair.

“Charles,” Erik thought, the word appearing husky in both their minds. He pulled away and began trailing kisses across Charles’s perfect cheekbones, nipping at his ear before moving to swipe his tongue down his neck as he tugged his shirt free. He slipped his hands underneath the buttoned front and around to feel the warmth of the small of Charles’s back as he moaned into Erik’s mouth.

Charles’s skin was soft and smooth, the complete opposite of Erik’s, which bore many marks from his time in the camps and hunting down Nazis. However, beneath the soft skin, Erik could feel sinewy muscle stretching as Charles arched his back and stood on tiptoe to allow Erik better access. As they ground together, Erik ceasing his ministrations on Charles’s neck to let their lips collide once more, he could feel the conspicuous bulge in the other man’s trousers, and knew that Charles could feel something very similar against his hip from the way he sucked in a sharp breath.

The weight of where this was headed hit Erik with the force of a sledgehammer. He pulled back and rested his forehead against Charles’s, their breaths coming in ragged gasps. After a moment, Charles moved to kiss Erik’s forehead before drawing away. His eyes were sparking and still so blue, even if the pupils were blown much wider than usual.

“I’m sorry if that was a bit much,” Charles said sheepishly. “I’m afraid I got a little carried away.”

Erik let out a strangled bark of laughter. “Charles, you need never apologize for anything like that ever again.” Pulling the telepath in closer, he grinned before planting an almost chaste kiss on his lips.

The kiss turned into another, and then another, until Erik felt Charles slide his tongue imploringly along his bottom lip once more, nipping lightly. Erik responded with equal enthusiasm, tangling his hands in Charles’s thick dark hair. Their kisses were slower now, longer and more passionate.

Unfortunately, just as Charles’s hands had slipped under Erik’s turtleneck, a shrill “Charles!” came from somewhere nearer to the mansion.

Charles inhaled sharply and pulled away. “It’s Raven,” he explained. “We should go back.” He planted a quick peck on Erik’s lips before disentangling himself completely. Well, not quite completely. His hand found Erik’s and interlocked their fingers once more. Their hands stayed linked up until they reached the house. Erik placed a swift, reassuring kiss on Charles’s knuckles before dropping his hand just before Raven turned to see them.

 _“We don’t have to spill the beans quite yet,”_ Charles mentally agreed. “Yes, Raven?” he asked, bounding up the steps of the house, smile sliding into a frown as he saw the look on his sister’s face and felt the anxiety sliding off her in waves. “What’s happened?”

“Sean,” Raven replied. “We were all hanging out listening to music and singing along, and I guess Sean doesn’t have as much control as he thought because he tried to go falsetto-“

“Say no more,” Charles said, holding up a hand to stop her. “Show me the damage.”

Raven strode swiftly into the house. Charles turned to catch Erik’s eye before following her. “My room? Give me twenty minutes.”

Erik’s smile stretched across his face, showing far too many teeth than was probably necessary. “I’ll be waiting, Professor.”

Charles’s returning smile had just the faintest hint of danger dancing around the eyes, but before Erik could do anything about it, Charles had spun on his heel and sprinted after Raven into the house.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess I should have mentioned before, but keep in mind that time should be a little wibbly-wobbly in this. Like, they spend several weeks at the mansion instead of just one.

“I’m sorry Professor!” Sean piped earnestly the second Charles entered the den. “It was an accident.”

Charles surveyed the damage to the windows neutrally. Had this happened ten minutes earlier, he might have been cross or exasperated. As it was, Charles couldn’t seem to focus on the mess in front of him; his head seemed to be swimming with endorphins from his snogging session with Erik. Forcing himself to concentrate on the wreckage before him, he hummed noncommittally before fixing Sean with what managed to be an authoritative smile.

“I know it was an accident, Sean, don’t worry, I’m not mad.” Sean looked immensely relieved before Charles continued. “However, I’m afraid this does mean we need to work more on your control.”

Sean lowered his eyes to the broken glass on the floor and nodded, abashed, causing Charles to place a hand on his shoulder reassuringly.

“We’ll practice more tomorrow,” he said as Sean lifted his head to meet his gaze once more. “For now, you can all help me get this cleaned up and then it’s time for bed, I think. Early day tomorrow.”

With everyone’s help, the glass was soon swept up and thrown away, while the holes in the two shattered windowpanes were patched over with tape and more garbage bags. Charles tried not to look too anxious as he checked his watch. Five minutes to spare.

“Well, everyone,” he said much more casually than he felt, “that’s enough excitement for today. Off you go to bed. “

It was only slightly after ten, and Charles half expected someone, especially Raven, to protest at the early bedtime. However, the younger mutants must have felt they had somehow gotten off the hook, as they scuttled off upstairs without complaint, with mumbles of “Goodnight, Professor” and a quick kiss on the cheek from Raven. Charles waited until he could no longer hear their footsteps, and then exited the den, hastily closing the door behind him before sprinting up the stairs to his room two at a time.

As he reached his bedroom, he could feel Erik’s excitement and nervousness turning the space between them electric. He paused for a fraction of a second to compose himself before pushing open the door.

Erik was seated in one of the armchairs near the window that looked out over the garden (and the re-imagined fountain), a tumbler of scotch dangling lazily in his fingertips. Charles’s bright blue eyes met Erik’s grey ones and neither one of them seemed to breathe for a moment. Erik’s lips jerked upwards in a grin that made Charles’s stomach lurch with wanting, a feeling that was exacerbated by the way Erik raised his hand and, rather cockily, gestured for Charles to join him by the window.

In milliseconds, Charles was at Erik’s side, bending down to kiss him hungrily. He felt Erik deposit his scotch on the small table next to the chair before snaking the same hand that had held the drink around his neck to tangle in his hair. Charles opened his mouth, deepening their kiss and Erik, who was still seated, moaned and arched up enthusiastically, sliding his tongue alongside Charles’s. Charles felt the feather-light touch of Erik’s fingers as they traced his jaw line tenderly, juxtaposed by the possessiveness with which he conquered his mouth.

Erik’s thoughts were a litany of _CharlesCharlesCharles_ , and Charles could hear his own voice entwined with Erik’s in both of their minds repeating _Erik_ in an increasingly fervent crescendo.

Breaking his lips from Charles’s, Erik stood and allowed Charles only enough time to straighten up before capturing that perfect mouth once more. Charles pressed himself against Erik’s lean chest, feeling with a kind of muted awe how very solid his friend was. He heard Erik chuckle softly.

“ _Solid? What did you think I was made out of, Charles?_ ”

The query popped into Charles’s head, nudging aside Charles’s mental encouragements as Erik’s large hands skillfully undid the buttons of his dress shirt to trail a line of kisses down his neck and across his collarbone.

“ _You’re just so- ah- real,_ ” Charles replied, breath and voice hitching as Erik slipped his shirt down his arms to fall in a heap on the floor behind them. Erik’s hands ghosted over all the newly exposed flesh reverently, tracing indistinguishable little patterns that left Charles’s pale skin feverish in their wake. Erik smugly sucked at a pulse point in Charles’s neck.

Impatient, Charles found the hem of Erik’s shirt and pulled it roughly up, forcing Erik to break his ministrations on Charles’s neck just long enough to get it over his head, finally exposing the warm skin of Erik’s stomach and back that Charles had been quietly fantasizing about for almost a month. This much physical contact was intoxicating, and Charles arched towards the taller man, pressing their naked torsos together. Erik moaned and moved to kiss Charles’s lips in a sort of crushingly passionate tattoo.

Charles’s hands raced over Erik’s back, dipping into the crease of his spine, fingertips delicately tracing the ridges of old scars. He had known they were there, of course; the things Charles had seen Shaw do to Erik through Erik’s memories had been unspeakable, and certainly had left their physical marks as well as emotional ones. His shock and despondency at actually feeling them, however, must have bled through into Erik’s mind because he pulled suddenly away. Charles gazed up into his steel eyes apologetically.

“Don’t pity me, Charles,” he said, contrasting the harshness of his voice by sweetly tucking a stray lock of hair behind Charles’s ear. “It’s feels far too patronizing.”

Erik brushed his hand across Charles’s cheek, eyes becoming a fraction softer when Charles turned to brush a kiss across his knuckles.

“I’m sorry,” Charles said, evenly, cupping a hand to Erik’s cheek, reviling a little in the way Erik seemed to sink into the touch despite himself. “I didn’t mean it at all like that, you know I didn’t.” He sent Erik a wave of pure affection that seemed to take the other man by surprise.

Erik smiled tentatively down at him. It did not reach his eyes. “I guess I’m just not used to someone…” _caring_ “…knowing where the scars really came from,” he explained. Charles could tell he was hoping against all hope that his emotional slip-up had not bled through his quickly dissolving mental barriers. Charles decided to drop it, and, in lieu of telling Erik how much he really cared, settled for closing the gap between their lips once more.

“ _I know everything about you,_ ” Charles projected, and then added a little cheekily, “ _including all the things you’d like to do to me with those beautifully crafted hands. You have some very good genes, my friend_.”

Charles was a little taken aback by how feral Erik’s answering growl was, but not unpleasantly so. He could feel a slight tug coming from his belt buckle and realized with a jolt of arousal that Erik was using his powers to finish undressing them.

Stumbling a little as he attempted to kick off his trousers while Erik was kicking off his (Charles had tried to pull away to make the process easier, but Erik’s mouth had been very insistent) Charles directed the pair of them towards the giant four-poster bed. His knees buckled as he hit the edge quicker than he expected, making Erik sprawl awkwardly on top of him. Together they managed to half scoot, half crawl so Charles’s head was resting on the plush red pillows nestled against the mahogany headboard.

With Erik almost flush against him, Charles could feel their erections bumping up against each other. Reaching out boldly, he cupped Erik through his pants, making him shudder with need. Erik moaned, plundering Charles’s mouth with his tongue and projecting, “ _God, Charles, keep doing that_.”

Charles grinned against Erik’s mouth and he grasped the band of Erik’s only remaining item of clothing pushing it down until Erik could kick them off. Still grinning, Charles enclosing his fingers around Erik’s cock and stroked it with teasing delicacy. Erik’s lips broke from Charles’s as he let out a mix between a huff and a strangled groan.

They were both breathing heavily, and Charles could feel Erik’s pleasure radiating all around him, intensifying his own and creating an extremely intense loop of arousal. This had never happened before, since Charles had always had to hide his gifts from his other sexual partners. With Erik though, he had absolutely nothing to hide, which just made what was happening at the moment that much more intimate and arousing.

Erik rested his forehead against Charles’s as his fingers sped up, twisting and pulling in all the ways that Erik liked best, until Charles could feel the slipperiness of pre-come on his fingers. He was about to finish him off when Erik’s wrist enclosed his own, Charles pulled back to look into Erik’s eyes, which were almost completely black with lust.

“Not yet,” he said, smiling wolfishly down at Charles. He planted a slow kiss to his lips while he began removing Charles’s own undergarments, pulling back to allow Charles to kick them off completely. Erik’s tongue slid back into Charles’s mouth, dancing with his own as they rocked together, now completely naked. A low moan escaped Charles’s lips as Erik lowered a hand to stroke them both simultaneously. Their breathing increased steadily, Charles bucking upwards into Erik’s hand.

" _Oh God_ ," he thought, capturing Erik’s mouth in another deep kiss.

Erik smiled against his lips. “ _Do you want me to stop?_ ” he asked, sucking on Charles’s tongue with such lasciviousness that the man beneath him groaned loudly, practically writhing.

Charles didn’t reply, but instead sent an image to Erik of the two of them together, Charles clutching at his back as he drove into him, ecstatic moans falling from both their lips. In real life, Erik made an indistinguishable noise at the back of his throat, removing his hand and making a vague “come hither” gesture with it towards the door.

“Erik, what are you-” Charles began, propping himself up on his elbows to look at Erik more closely, but he was silenced when the door quickly flew open then shut again, the tumblers of the lock clicking into place as a metal jar of something rocketed towards the bed.

Erik used his powers to rip off the lid, lowering his lips to the soft skin of Charles’s neck as he dipped his fingers into jar, which, Charles realized before his eyes flickered shut, must have been something like Vaseline.

“ _Okay?_ ” Erik asked wordlessly, still nuzzling at Charles’s skin with his teeth and lips.

“ _Yes, Erik do it,_ ” Charles replied, rolling his hips forwards in encouragement.

Erik seemed to brace himself momentarily before carefully sliding the first finger into Charles. Erik heard Charles suck in a breath at the sensation, but at the first thought of pulling away he heard a mental “ _Not a chance_ ” from the other man. He felt Charles brush his lips over his temple, his head resting on his shoulder.

“It’s okay,” Charles whispered, breath hot against his ear. “You can keep going.”

Their lips came together in a cautious kiss as Erik experimentally moved his hand, adjusting to the noises Charles was making deep in his throat. When he was sure Charles was ready, he added another finger, and finally, with Charles’s litany of “ _ErikErikohGodErikyes_ ” pounding encouragingly in his head, coupled with the sounds of Charles’s increasingly ragged breath, a third. They rocked their hips together, lips crashing together once more, breathing heavy and expectant.

“Can I?” Erik asked, breaking their lips apart to look Charles in the eye.

“Mmhmm,” Charles replied, giving Erik a reassuring look before pulling his mouth back down to his once more.

As gently as possibly, Erik slid his fingers away, pausing just long enough to brace himself squarely between Charles’s legs before pushing in slowly. Charles let out an even breath through his nose, the hand resting on Erik’s bicep tightening slightly. Erik looked back at Charles expectantly, but Charles’s face was set in determination, his bright blue eyes warm and accepting. Erik bent down and kissed him slowly, rolling his hips gradually forward once more until his hips were flush with the back of Charles’s thighs, Charles’s legs wrapped around his waist.

He waited a moment before beginning to move his body back and forth, making sure to register any discomfort from Charles. It wasn’t long before Charles began rocking his hips in time with Erik’s thrusts, soft mewling noises falling from his lips. Erik pressed a kiss to Charles’s forehead as he quickened the pace, a raspy “ _Oh, Erik, yes_ ” drifting through his mind. Nails scraped feather-light over Erik’s back, not even forceful enough to leave a mark, making Erik gasp and moan as he dropped his head to the junction of Charles’s neck and shoulder once more. The loop between them was almost buzzing in both their minds as their pleasure grew exponentially, bounced back and forth between them.

Erik kissed Charles once more, open mouthed and ungraceful as he finally lost the battle to keep control of his body, his own orgasm bringing Charles over the edge with him as he continued to piston his hips. Slowly, Erik came back to himself, Charles still rolling gently with the aftershocks. When they both stilled, Erik pressed his lips soundly to Charles’s and pulled away, flopping on his back next to the still breathless Charles with a groan. Immediately, Charles flipped on his side, throwing an arm around Erik’s waist and pressing his nose against his side when Erik lifted his arm to pull Charles closer.

Erik felt completely weightless, a sleepy smile spread across his face as he lay there, Charles’s soft breaths tickling him as they ghosted over the skin covering his ribs. He chuckled lightly, and Charles must have read something from his thoughts because he scooted up to rest his head on Erik’s shoulder.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, kissing the corner of Erik’s mouth apologetically even as his lips turned up in a grin. “I didn’t know you were so ticklish.”

“It’s alright,” Erik breathed, caring a hand through Charles’s floppy hair. He could still feel the warmth of Charles’s mind inside his own, and surprisingly, it didn’t bother him as much as he thought it would.

Sensing this, Charles nipped affectionately at his shoulder before placing a kiss on the same spot. “ _I really can leave if you want._ ”

“ _No._ ” Erik’s answering thought surprised even himself. He knew that he and the man he was now moving to kiss would never work. They could never work if Charles couldn’t see how dangerous it was for mutants to come out into the open. But somehow none of that seemed to matter as much when their lips met tenderly once more. If Charles sensed any of his thoughts, he didn’t acknowledge them. Instead, he opened his mouth to Erik’s eager tongue, sending wave after wave of acceptance and happiness to the other man, the golden threads of the bond connecting their minds growing subtly stronger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I own nothing and a bajillion thanks to my beautiful, wonderful, talented beta dizzycalm.


	3. Chapter 3

They were seated together in the cushy leather chairs of Charles’s study, the only sounds from the house coming from the cracking fire in the hearth and the steady swish of the turning pages of Charles’s book. The children and Moira had dispersed to their respective rooms several hours earlier. Charles and Erik had heard their footsteps as they stomped up the staircase, Charles frowning at the noise as it broke his concentration on his next move in their chess game. However, even without the sounds of the others distracting him, there was nothing he could do to regain the ground he had lost against Erik when he had captured Charles’s queen. It wasn’t long before Erik had declared “Checkmate” with a toothy grin, sinking back into his chair.

Charles had graciously accepted his defeat, and soon they settled into an amiable silence, Erik staring off into the crackling flames in contemplation and Charles flipping through the worn pages of some tired old Victorian novel as they both sipped at scotches. Erik’s eyes glazed over as he stared; mind wandering to his and Charles’s shared bed upstairs.

Over the past couple of weeks, Erik’s things had somehow found their way into Charles’s room more out of necessity than anything else. He had been spending every night in the telepath’s bed anyway, and their nighttime activities were often strenuous enough to make them both sleep in later than usual, trying to catch every minute of unconsciousness they could before the equally taxing training sessions during the day. Erik had had to move his toothbrush into Charles’s in-suite bathroom, along with his extra towel for their completely necessary time-saving joint showers. It would have looked very suspicious if one of the children caught him wandering out of Charles’s bedroom in just a towel, so naturally his clothes had been the next thing to migrate down the hall and into Charles’s dresser.

But Erik and his possessions’ new home wasn’t the only thing concerning him. The closer he and Charles became physically, the more he noticed the warm presence of Charles’s mind drifting through his. In fact, Erik wondered if Charles even knew he was doing it as often as he was. What bothered Erik even more was the fact that he was starting to enjoy the brush of Charles’s thoughts amongst his own. After so many years of being alone, it was comforting to know with absolute certainty that he had someone to rely on again. Erik wanted to kick himself for becoming so attached. There was no way that he and Charles would work. He would kill Shaw and Charles with all his foolish ideals would refuse to accept this. Whatever closeness he felt now was sure to be a lie, or it would eventually be used against him as it always had been.

Erik started a little as he felt the odd tendrils of Charles’s mind wrapping around his own. Charles noticed his sudden jolt back to the present, and frowned, setting down his book.

“I’m sorry,” he said, and Erik only just managed to keep his regretful sigh to himself as he felt Charles retreat from his head. “I didn’t even know I was doing it. Your thoughts are just so… comfortable.” He smiled apologetically and Erik’s mouth twitched upwards for a fraction of a second in reply.

“I didn’t know thoughts could feel comfortable,” Erik said, eyebrow crooked in the beginnings of a snarky smile.

Charles’s eyes were soft as he looked at Erik piercingly. “Not everyone’s,” he said quietly, turning his gaze to the floor. Something tense and unspoken hung in the air for a moment as Erik realized for the first time that, being a telepath, there was no way Charles could be as naïve as he had always thought. He opened his mouth, not knowing exactly what he was going to say, but Charles looked up at him again, suddenly smiling.

“What?” Erik asked, watching Charles stand and hurry over to the record player in the corner of the study, crouching to examine the vinyls in the small cabinet underneath the turntable. The other man seemed to find what he was looking for as he let out a quiet noise of triumph before snatching the record from its case and putting it onto the player, setting the needle to play. Charles turned to grin at Erik as the silky strains of a jazz quartet mixed with the biting tones of a trumpet, finally met with the smoky contralto of Ella Fitzgerald’s voice.

 _Stars shining bright above you, night breezes seem to whisper “I love you”…_ she crooned as Charles glided over to Erik, catching his lips in a sweet kiss and taking his hand.

“Dance with me,” Charles whispered against Erik’s lips, snaking his other arm around his waist to help pull him up.

Erik sighed and rolled his eyes. “Oh please, Charles,” Erik protested even as he rose and followed Charles to a more open area closer to the book-shelved wall and the turntable. “This is all very silly.”

“Mmmhmm,” Charles hummed placidly, wrapping his arms around Erik’s neck and burying his nose in the soft fabric of his turtleneck. “Thank you for humoring me.”

Erik hugged Charles to him as they swayed in time to the intoxicating melodies created by Ms Fitzgerald, lowering his head to bury his nose in Charles’s thick dark hair.

 _Say nighty-night and kiss me…_ the voice from the speaker intoned gently. Erik laced the fingers of his left hand through Charles’s right and held their arms close to their sides, shifting his weight from foot to foot as he became increasingly drawn into the music. Charles moved with him, lifting his head to plant a tender kiss to his lips, breaking away when Erik pushed on his hip, making him do a little twirl. When he turned to face Erik again his smile was making his eyes sparkle even in the dimly lit room. Erik pulled him close, and, feeling a little bolder, began sweeping them both around the room to the bluesy beat, cheeks brushing together softly. Louis’s voice joined Ella’s.

“ _I didn’t know you could blues dance,_ ” Charles sent, his breath warm against Erik’s ear even though he didn’t speak.

Erik smiled as he spun Charles again slowly. “ _I’m just full of surprises for someone who claims to know everything about me._ ”

“ _Touché,_ ” Charles thought as Erik brought their lips together once more. Erik could taste a hint of scotch on Charles’s tongue along with the slightly minty taste that was exclusively Charles. They planted their feet, settling for swaying to the music as the kiss deepened, Charles humming contentedly into Erik’s mouth.

Erik felt giddy and lightheaded; this was the first time in a very long time that he actually felt completely relaxed. There were no thoughts of revenge or bloodshed buzzing in his head, there was only contentedness and the warmth of Charles’s mind as it wrapped around his in a warm embrace that mimicked their bodies. He laughed against Charles’s mouth. This was such a bad idea; letting his walls down for the telepath to get in, but he found he couldn’t care at all.

Charles smiled and kissed the corner of Erik’s mouth, chuckling. “I knew you couldn’t brood all night,” he said, shifting his feet again, taking the lead. “Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong are a lethal combination for angst.”

Erik just smiled down at him as they began dancing again. “ _You’re so beautiful, Charles,_ ” he thought absentmindedly. He hadn’t meant for the endearment to go through their connection, but apparently Charles was already too tuned in, because he blushed and looked down at their feet gliding across the thick carpet to avoid Erik’s gaze. It seemed he was at a loss for words, so Erik tried to cover up how stupid he felt by burying his face in Charles’s wavy hair once more. As the song cadenced, Erik spun Charles one last time and brought him into a low dip. Charles looked up at him again, an affectionate glint in his eyes.

“Feeling better?” he asked, giving Erik a quick peck when he set him on his feet again.

“Much,” Erik replied. Indeed, the sickening feeling that had been settling in his stomach while he thought of Shaw and their inevitable confrontation had completely dissipated, only to be replaced with a funny fluttering kind of sensation now that Charles looked at him with those piercing blue eyes. Not knowing quite why he was doing it, he pressed a kiss to Charles’s temple. The connection between the two of them flared a warm, blissful yellow for the moment his lips brushed Charles’s skin. Erik’s stomach did an involuntary flip.

“Come to bed?” he asked quietly, unable to keep the insecurity from his voice. There was no way Erik could convince himself that Charles would keep agreeing, and tonight just might be the night that he started pulling away as he inevitably would. There was a light squeeze from Charles’s hand that was still in his.

“Of course,” he said, already pulling Erik gently towards the door by their laced fingers.  
~

_Erik struggled against the braces holding him down, his screams and pleas for help muffled by the leather strap in his mouth. The bright cold light of the operating room blinding him, biting into his retinas, but he could not close his eyes for all the adrenaline rushing through his body. Suddenly, Schmidt swam into view in front of him, blurred by the panicked tears forming in his eyes._

_“Halt still, Erik,” he crooned, raising his scalpel to wave it tauntingly back in forth. “Das ist viel weniger schmerzhaft wenn du nicht dagegen ankämpfst.”_

_Erik’s breathing increased, heart racing as Schmidt lowered the instrument, the cool steel almost soothing for the moment before it pressed into his skin._

“ERIK!”

He woke with a great jerk upwards, muscles tensed and ready to fight, the metal of Charles’s bedroom humming all around him, ready to be shaped into weapons. But as he sat looking wildly around the room, all he saw was the soft stream of moonlight through the half-shuttered windows, and a pale Charles looking at him, blue eyes swimming with concern and something more that Erik could not place at the moment. Charles made no move to touch him yet, which was probably a good idea, but Erik guessed he could sense the uneasiness rolling off him in waves.

“You were having a nightmare. I... heard you…” he tapped two of his fingers to his temple in explanation.

Erik didn’t reply. His blood was still hammering in his ears and his breath was coming in ragged gasps, sobs threatening to wrench themselves from him. Slowly, he began regaining his senses; his muscles relaxed if only just slightly, and he made a concentrated effort to breathe normally despite the lump in his throat, but his mind was still whirling. He tore his gaze from Charles’s and saw the iron framework of the headboard had warped into a garbled tangle of metal stretching and twisting away from the bed.

“Sorry,” he said automatically, gesturing to the mess he had created.

Charles’s expression became softer, and Erik noticed he had also been tensed up as he relaxed his shoulders. “You don’t have to apologize,” he said quietly, leaning forward slightly. “Not for that. Not ever.”

Erik sighed, the last of the tension in his back and arms flowing from him as he calmed under Charles’s warm gaze, but he still felt there was something missing; some similar comforting presence wrapping itself around him. He realized his mind felt empty, too big for him alone and far too dark. He brushed a hand over his face and found his cheeks were wet. Somehow that knowledge allowed him to let go of the last bit of control he had, a pathetic sob finally wrenching free. He was so stupid. He should have known that the happiness of the evening would not last, that somehow Shaw would find a way to break him again.

Charles started forward, immediately wrapping himself around Erik’s body and mind. He carded his fingers through Erik’s hair, smoothing out the mess that thrashing around in his nightmare had created. Soft shushing noises fell from his lips as Erik buried his face in Charles’s neck, tears falling unchecked onto his soft skin, captured by his collarbone.

Erik realized several minutes later as his breathing calmed that Charles was humming something odd and lilting in his head, his lips still preoccupied with quiet shushing and, occasionally, pressing light kisses to the bare skin of Erik’s shoulder. Though they were both entirely naked, their legs only half-covered by the sheets and plush comforter of their bed, there was nothing even vaguely erotic about what Charles was doing. No expectations of sex hung at the ends of the reassurance Charles was giving him. In fact, the only thing pouring from the other man’s mind was a concerned, complicated buzz of emotions mixed with his humming.

Erik’s breathing was now completely back to normal, the dregs of his nightmare chased away by the soothing hands still playing absentmindedly with his hair. Gently, he pulled both of them back towards the mattress, snuggling in closer against Charles’s neck when they stretched out their legs, allowing their bodies to become flush against one another. Charles kissed his temple.  
“ _Alright?_ ” he asked, moving his hands to stroke up and down Erik’s spine.

“Mmmhmm,” Erik mumbled his nose brushing up against Charles’s Adam’s apple as he moved to a more comfortable position closer to the steady _thump thump_ of the telepath’s heart.

“ _Thank you,_ ” he projected quietly.

Charles’s hum of dismissal rumbled through his chest and into Erik’s cheek. “Don’t thank me,” he replied, planting another kiss to the top of Erik’s head. “Go to sleep. I’ve got you.”

A softness almost like a kiss flooded into Erik’s mind, making him forget all his apprehension as he closed his eyes once more, allowing himself to drown in the warmth all around him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing. Beta'd by dizzycalm, my muse.


	4. Chapter 4

“ _God, I love your cock, Charles._ ”

Charles let out a gasp of surprise, and fumbled the mannequin he had been moving into Alex’s training room, only just catching it before it could clatter to the ground. He should have been expecting this, really. Ever since their conversation over breakfast that morning, he knew something was up, and their precarious connection had been humming with mischief from Erik’s end all day.

Charles had been just about to take a sip of his English Breakfast, having just sat down to the table with his eggs and toast when Erik spoke up.

“How do you train?”

Charles almost choked on his tea in surprise. Erik had been silently reading the paper while Charles stumbled sleepily around the kitchen, preparing his food. Charles looked up at him from across the table, seeing Erik was patiently waiting for him to answer, an eyebrow quirked as he smiled cheekily back at the spluttering Charles.

“Well?” Erik continued when Charles didn’t answer. “You’re always helping train us all day, and it’s not like you’re doing it in your free time.” His grin widened so much it would have looked predatory to someone who didn’t know him better. Charles blushed a little despite himself as images from the past few nights flooded his mind.

“You’re projecting very loudly, my friend,” he mumbled, becoming fascinated with the pattern on the china.

A bark of laughter from Erik made Charles jump again. When he looked up he saw an evil glint in Erik’s eye. “You should practice keeping other people’s thoughts away, Charles,” he said mischievously. “Who knows what they might throw at you as a distraction.”

“I’m perfectly well prepared as is, thank you,” Charles said stiffly, ignoring Erik’s quiet chuckle by taking a gulp of tea that burned it’s way down his throat.

Now, as he straightened up with the mannequin, he tried to ignore Alex’s questioning gaze.

“Alright, Professor?” he asked, shifting from foot to foot nervously.

Charles attempted a smile and moved to set the dummy up at the farther end of the bunker. “Yes, Alex, thank you,” he replied. “Erik just called for me.” He tapped his head in explanation. “But it’s not important. Try to hit the mannequin. I’ll be outside the door.”

Charles walked out of the room as quickly as possible, which was good because he was barely at the door before Erik’s voice echoed in his mind once again.

“ _Are you training one of children? Let them have a break._ ” There was a possessive but not unpleasant edge to Erik’s thoughts. “ _Come upstairs… Here, let me show you what you_ should _be doing_.”

With a strangled groan, Charles threw the steel door of the bunker shut, buckling against it as Erik sent him images from last night- Erik trailing a line of kisses down Charles’s neck and Charles gasping as Erik sucked hard at his collarbone, leaving a prominent mark against the pale skin; Charles leaning over Erik’s shoulder to catch his lips in a sloppy kiss as he slowly rolled his hips, making Erik moan; the metal of the headboard twisting as Erik cried out, succumbing to the pleasure looping through his mind and body.

“ _God, Erik,_ ” Charles thought, flipping to rest his forehead against the cold steel of the bunker, just barely hearing the loud blast of Alex’s plasma beams over the blood roaring in his ears. “ _Please don’t do this now._ ”

A chuckle buzzed across their connection, along with another wave of want that wracked another moan out of the telepath. “ _Make me stop. You said you’re so good already you don’t need to train with the rest of us. Blocking me out should be no problem._ ”

Charles’s answering laugh was strained as he palmed at the growing bulge in his trousers, trying to make it less evident and failing miserably when Erik sent him another picture of Charles driving into him. “Erik, please!” he said, then realizing he had spoken out loud, said “ _Please_ ” across the link.

“ _Block me out or make me stop._ ”

Charles groaned in frustration as the red light signaling danger in the bunker turned to green, and he was forced to open the door. Alex had managed to hit the mannequin, slicing it clean in half, leaving both pieces smoking.

“Excellent!” Charles cried, his voice much higher-pitched than normal. He tried to disguise his unease by smiling and clapping the younger man on the back, suppressing a spasm as Erik sent a particularly loud image of Charles with his mouth wrapped around Erik’s cock. Taking a deep breath, he tugged at the connection. To his surprise, he felt something like a shock go through him, his smile slipping. The mental strings connecting him to Erik had bowed, but when he tried to sever them entirely, they had snapped back into place. Erik’s end was suddenly stonily silent.

Alex looked questioningly at Charles, who realized he had been almost frozen with his hand still rested on Alex’s shoulder. He coughed, shaking himself. “I think we’re ready start on hitting a specific target soon. You’ve done very well. I’d say you can stop early and have some free time before dinner.”

Alex smiled in disbelief. “Really?” Charles hardly ever let them off early.

“Really,” Charles said, clapping him again on the shoulder. “I’ll clean this up.”

“Thanks, Professor,” Alex said, his grin widening as he bolted from the room.

As soon as the noise of his footsteps had died away, Charles sighed and dropped to the ground. “ _Are you alright?_ ” he asked, tentatively sliding a mental finger along the strings connecting their minds.

“ _Yes_ ,” Erik replied, all mirth replaced with a deadened feeling that Charles recognized as Erik turning him away. The feeling made him sick. “ _What exactly was that, Charles?_ ”

“ _I have no idea, I swear._ ”

Silence emanated from Erik’s end, but he could still feel his presence as a series of emotions- confusion, fear, and anger being the most prominent. Charles tugged even lighter than before at the bond, and once again, received only a light pull in return. There was no snapping away from Erik’s mind.

“ _Erik, I think we need to talk in person. Where are you?_ ”

“ _The library,_ ” was the quiet reply.

“ _I’m on my way._ ”

Charles took the stairs out of the basement two at a time, all arousal from Erik’s impromptu training session gone with the discovery that their minds were now, it seemed, irrevocably linked. Erik’s mind had always burned somewhat brighter than the others, pulling Charles into its warmth like magnet. Charles loved the feeling of being inside Erik’s mind when he was allowed, and certainly held on as long as he could before he felt a pulsing blue of uneasiness seeping from the other man.

As the days went on though, and as their physical relationship had escalated, their mental and emotional relationship had grown as well. Erik now allowed Charles to pop into his mind more and more often and see things that he had never shown to anyone else. Eventually, however, Charles would feel the small pulse of uncertainty at the back of Erik’s mind growing ever stronger, his thoughts conflicted with revenge towards Shaw and a slow realization that that revenge may take away the one person that accepted him and cared for him since his mother had died.

Charles never mentioned that he could see these thoughts when Erik had them, but he suspected Erik knew. He simply accepted that Erik needed his space; after practically a lifetime of being alone it would be too big a change to immediately want Charles in his head all the time. But this new, unbreakable connection was sure to put a wrench in their relationship. Stopping for a moment when he reached the first floor hallway, Charles closed his eyes and put his fingers to his temple for more control before tugging feebly at the connection once more.

“ _Damn it, Charles, I can feel that,_ ” Erik said, this thoughts rough with anxiety. “ _Will you please hurry and get here so we can figure out what’s going on?_ ”

Needing no further encouragement, Charles sped along the rest of the hallway, whipping around a corner and skidding to a halt in front of the library door, which he quickly opened. Erik, who was standing by one of the velvet-curtained windows, already had his eyes trained on the door. He stared blankly at Charles, his jaw set in a firm line. Charles felt completely naked under his gaze, and he fought down a shiver as he stepped through the threshold of the library, closing the door behind him.

Erik waved two fingers of his hand to the side and Charles heard the lock click. He started forward cautiously, someone perturbed by Erik’s stillness, but relieved when he reached forward to place a trembling hand on his temple and the metal bender did not flinch away from his touch. His voice was painfully even when he finally spoke.

“Charles, what is happening?”

Charles swallowed thickly, fingers sliding from Erik’s temple down to cup the side of his neck; thumb sliding over the fabric covering his skin. “I’m so sorry,” he said softly. “I have no idea. I tried pulling away, but... I don’t know if I can.” Erik only nodded. “This has never happened before, I swear.” There was a small pause before Charles continued so quietly his voice was barely above a whisper. “I don’t think anyone’s let me get close enough before.”

This, Charles realized with a sudden clarity, was the complete truth. Although Raven had been around for most of his life, she had never fully accepted his ability. From almost the moment he told her of his abilities, she had made him promise to keep his mind to himself. Other than the occasional projected outburst, which he couldn’t not hear, Charles had respected her wishes. Until Erik, no one in his life had accepted him for who he was and what he could do. In fact, Erik had even welcomed Charles’s mind inside his own, like a few nights ago when he had woken from another one of his nightmares only to openly invite Charles to dive into his mind.

Something in Erik’s expression softened when the weight of Charles’s words sunk in. Their connection, which had been tight with anxiety loosened a little; still taut, but not strained and making both of their heads pound. “I guess growing up here, with Raven, I never thought you would have felt… alone,” Erik said slowly.

Charles smiled ruefully. “Sometimes it’s odd how disconnected you can feel when you’re surrounded by people. Especially being a telepath.”

“I’m sorry,” Erik said quietly. The last of the tension dropped from the bond connecting them and Charles finally felt warmth seeping into his mind instead as Erik laced the fingers of one of his hands with Charles’s that had come to rest on his chest.

Charles didn’t reply. Instead, he wrapped his free hand around the back of Erik’s neck, bringing their foreheads together as he shifted closer, pressing their bodies flush with each other.

They were quiet for a long time, Erik wrapping his free arm around Charles to pull him in as close as he could as Charles buried his face in Erik’s neck, drinking in the intoxicating scent of his cologne. Erik realized in the quiet that he absolutely didn’t care about the odd bond that had grown between them, its tendrils shining bright and strong like steel cables in Erik’s mind. After all, Charles accepted all of him without question, even the sharp fragments of memory from his time in the camps. If Charles could understand even the most broken parts of him, then it would not be so extraordinary that he could accept Charles’s gift in return. He hummed happily against Charles’s temple, trailing his hand up and down the groove of his spine.

“ _I could try to pull away again,_ ” Charles offered silently so as not to disturb the moment. As much as he wanted to stay, he would not disrespect Erik’s wishes, even if he could feel Erik’s mind growing softer and softer, overflowing with affection towards the man in his arms.

Erik pressed a kiss to Charles’s skin, nose brushing against his hair. “No,” he replied. “I want to stay. If you want to keep me, of course.”

Charles felt tears of relief prickle behind his closed eyelids. He shifted to capture Erik’s lips with his own. “ _Always._ ”

That night as they drifted off to sleep in Charles’s bed- their bed, Erik corrected, nuzzling closer to Charles so his breathing ghosted across the telepath’s forehead, his nose buried in his soft locks- the connection between their minds flared a contented yellow. Charles’s own breath was soft against his clavicle, even and reassuring.

“I love you,” Charles said almost inaudibly, his voice thick with sleepiness.

“I love you too,” Erik replied, his heart doing an odd sort of flop when he realized really meant it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing! Beta'd by dizzycalm, who I am indebted to for life.


	5. Chapter 5

The dawn broke far too soon. Erik squinted his eyes against the light seeping in through a crack in the fabric of Charles’s drapes, making a quiet, unhappy noise, which roused Charles who was still curled into his chest. Heavy-lidded blue eyes blinked sleepily a few times before turning to gaze at Erik, a smile quirking up the corner of Charles’s mouth as warmth seeped between them over their connection.

“Good morning,” Charles said, his voice still rough with sleep.

Erik pressed a kiss to the telepath’s mouth, which looked even redder than usual in the morning light. “Good morning,” he whispered back, lips brushing against Charles’s from their closeness.

Charles’s eyes fluttered shut again, and he smiled sleepily against Erik’s mouth, and although the others were surely already downstairs eating breakfast, Erik couldn’t bring himself to move from his position in Charles’s arms. Charles’s grin broadened and happiness flowed into Erik’s mind easily through the connection. He had almost forgotten it was there, wrapped gently around him like a blanket, and he tensed for a moment in shock. Charles froze for a second as well, then quickly began pulling away from Erik, physically at least, since that’s all he could do. Feeling Charles moving from him, Erik hastily came to his senses, gripping Charles’s forearms tightly and to pull them together once more.

“No, Charles,” he said, his voice quiet with intent as he dipped his head to catch the other man’s eye. “I’m just not used to it. You’re fine.”

Charles looked up at him, a hint of uncertainty still causing his eyes to sparkle. “I… maybe now that it’s morning you don’t feel-”

Erik silenced him with a soft kiss. Caught off-guard, Charles tensed for a moment before opening his mouth to Erik, and moaning when Erik’s tongue slid along his own. They pulled apart some minutes later, their breathing ragged as Erik rested his forehead against Charles’s.

“I want you in here,” he said, bringing Charles’s hand to rest against his temple, covering the soft pale skin with his own roughly callused fingers. Tentatively, he sent a feeling of acceptance along the steely bonds connecting Charles’s mind to his own. “Promise.”

A strangled noise of happiness escaped Charles’s throat and he gripped Erik’s fingers more tightly as a myriad images and feelings glowing a thousand different colors flashed through both their heads. “Good,” he said thickly over the din of relief echoing around them. “Good.”

Erik drew him in closer, dropping a trail of gentle kisses down the side of his face and across his cheek before finally pressing his lips to Charles’s, relief flooding his brain when Charles opened his mouth again. Contented moans fell into the minuscule space between them as Erik nipped at Charles’s bottom lip affectionately before sliding his tongue along it, a hand flitting from its place in Charles’s hair to rest on the swell of his arse.

Charles groaned and rocked his hips, arching against Erik who was mapping kisses down his neck and sucking at his collarbone, his head held in place by Charles’s fingers laced through his tousled hair.

“ _I think we should give the kids the morning off,_ ” Charles’s thought was husky in Erik’s mind, making him smile against the telepath’s skin.

“ _The kids?_ ” Erik said with just a hint of mockery, eliciting a gasp from Charles when he sucked hard on his pulse point, leaving a mark. He chuckled mischievously. “ _You say that like we’re their parents._ ”

“Erik, don’t be -ah!- absurd,” Charles said breathlessly, biting his lip as Erik lifted the thin fabric of his shirt to trail his mouth further down Charles’s torso.

Erik only snickered in response, hooking his thumbs in Charles’s tented pyjama bottoms to pull them down, Charles choking out a noise half-laugh, half-gasp when Erik’s mouth closed around his cock, hands twisting in the sheets as he fought the urge to buck his hips upwards. A sort of affectionate smugness was radiating from Erik, and he would have grinned if he could have. Instead, he settled for bobbing his head up and down, slowly at first, then adding a swirl of tongue, which made Charles groan. Erik could feel the muscles of Charles’s legs flexing on either side of him; Charles was nearly shaking with the effort of staying flat on the mattress.

Erik pulled off with a wet pop and looked up at Charles. The telepath’s breathing was ragged, his chest rising and falling heavily, his eyes shut and his head thrown back against the pale green of the pillowcase. Erik could see the lines of the muscles in his arms taught, and his knuckles white as they gripped the knotted bedclothes on either side of his legs. Erik thought he had never seen anything more arousing in his life.

“God, Erik,” Charles gasped, eyes flicking open as he glanced down. “I can hear everything you’re thinking, _please._ ”

Charles didn’t tell him what he wanted, but then again, he didn’t have to. Erik grinned lasciviously before lowering his mouth (but not his gaze) to Charles’s cock once more, swallowing him almost to the hilt, fighting the instinct to gag. “ _It’s okay,_ ” Erik purred. “ _You can move._ ”

A strangled sort of yell escaped Charles’s lips as he finally gave in and bucked upwards into the heat of Erik’s mouth. Fingers fisted in the short hair at back of Erik’s head, holding him in place as Charles’s hips jerked more and more erratically. It wasn’t long before, with one final thrust, Charles cried out and Erik felt hot semen hit the back of his throat. He saw white as Charles’s orgasm rocketed through his own mind over their connection, and he almost followed after him, but steeled himself against the blinding pleasure ricocheting through his body. Though Charles had fallen back against the mattress again, Erik continued to move his lips up and down his cock, swallowing every last drop of come before finally pulling away.

Erik slid back up to Charles’s mouth. His lips were parted, chest heaving as he fought to get his breathing back to normal, but when he looked up at Erik, his eyes were dancing with something deeper than just satisfaction. He wrapped a trembling hand around the back of Erik’s neck, crashing their lips together in a kiss that surprised Erik with its sweetness. But then Charles was flipping Erik on his back and leaning over to open the drawer of the nightstand and retrieving the bottle of lube hidden there. He leaned back down over Erik, capturing his mouth in a sloppy kiss, smiling into it as he began slipping the soft fabric of Erik’s flannel pyjama bottoms over his already leaking erection. Erik heard the promising click of the lube cap opening before a harsh knock on the bedroom door jerked him back to reality, Charles frozen with the bottle tipped halfway to his palm.

“Charles?” Raven called through the door, which Erik remembered with a sigh of relief, was locked. “Charles? Are you awake?”

Charles let out a disappointed breath, dropping his nose to Erik’s hair and planting a quick kiss there before replying. “I am now,” he said. “I’m sorry, I must not have woken up to my alarm. I’ll be down in a bit.”

Raven was quiet for a moment, skepticism hanging in the air. She seemed to think better of questioning her brother, however, because she said, “Okay, well we’re starting breakfast without you” before walking swiftly back downstairs, her boots clacking as she went.

Erik and Charles relaxed simultaneously, Charles slumping onto Erik’s lean frame and Erik burying his face in the worn old Oxford t-shirt Charles wore to sleep in, his nose catching in the dip of Charles’s sternum. They lay there like that for a while, waiting for their hearts to stop pounding. Eventually, Charles was the first to move, pressing a regretful kiss to Erik’s open mouth.

“We should get up. Shower or something,” he said, kissing Erik’s cheek quickly before rolling out of bed. When he was at the door of the in-suite bathroom, he turned and leaned against the frame, a playful glint back in his eye. “Join me?”

Erik, needing no further encouragement, bounded after Charles.

Almost fifteen minutes later, after a regrettably hurried shower (“They’ll be wondering what we’ve been up to,” Charles had said, even as he abandoned his washcloth to pull Erik closer), Erik and Charles entered the kitchen to find the rest of the mansion’s inhabitants already finishing up their breakfasts.

“Good morning everyone.” Charles grinned at the others sitting around the kitchen table before going to the counter to help himself to some of the cold eggs on the stove.

Feeling uncomfortable at all the eyes flicking from him to Charles, Erik grabbed a plate and followed suit.

“Morning,” Raven said, her voice sounding too loud in awkward silence that had settled on all the others. “You’re here awfully late too, Erik. Did you not wake up to Charles’s alarm either?”

Sean, who had just taken a large gulp of orange juice, started choking, his face going almost as red as his jumper. Alex reached over and began thumping Sean on the back. Hank had frozen, his empty fork halfway to his mouth, the bit of egg he was about to eat having fallen off without his notice. Erik felt Charles’s mind grow suddenly sharp, the muscles in his shoulders and arms pulled taut as if readying for a fight. A quiet breath hissed through his nose and when he turned abruptly to face the table again Erik saw his eyes glinting with a quiet fury.

“I thought everyone would enjoy a morning off,” he said, his voice too light for the suddenly tense atmosphere in the room.

Raven let out a bark of laughter, leaning back in her chair and folding her arms intimidatingly. “Oh Charles,” she cooed, face shining with a cold smile that did not reach her eyes. “Don’t try to change the subject, I asked Erik a perfectly logical question. In fact, I’m surprised I didn’t see it before.”

Erik felt sick, his appetite completely gone. He felt cornered again, trapped under someone else’s scrutiny, ready to be analyzed and labeled and judged again for something he couldn’t help. His heart began racing even as he kept his face neutral. He didn’t ask to be Jewish, or a mutant, or queer, but it seemed like no matter what happened, people were always going to be there to beat him down when he least expected it. All the metal began humming as Erik’s anticipation escalated. Suddenly, he felt the warm caress of Charles’s mind against his own, soft and sweet and reassuring; Erik grabbed at it desperately with fumbling mental fingers, holding on for dear life. He could trust Charles- if he could trust no one else in the whole universe he could trust the man now standing slightly in front of him, as if shielding him from the daggers Raven was staring at the both of them.

“What Erik and I do behind the privacy of closed doors is of no consequence to anyone but us,” Charles said icily. “But, now that my sister has so eloquently brought our private lives out in the open, if anyone feels uncomfortable being taught by two men who just so happen to love each other, then they can feel free to leave.”

No one at the table moved. Indeed, when Erik glanced nervously at all the children (Moira was missing, he noted. Well, she would soon get an interesting earful from someone) they all seemed to be glued to their chairs.

“If, however, you feel, as I do, that there are more important ways to spend your life than holding grudges against people based on their sexuality,” Charles continued, his voice so dangerously quiet that Erik could barely hear him, “then perhaps we can all take a breather this morning and resume training to defeat the real enemy this afternoon.”

Charles turned swiftly back around in the echoing silence, took Erik’s plate from him and set it back down on the counter. To Erik’s astonishment, he felt Charles’s hand slide into his own.

“Come on,” the telepath spit out, bitterness underlying his otherwise soothing tones. “Let’s go outside.”

Erik let himself be pulled out of the kitchen through the French doors that opened onto the large stone veranda outside. They were silent as Charles led them swiftly across the grounds, past the fountain Erik had constructed several weeks earlier, up the sloping lawn towards the orchard on the north side of the mansion. They had just reached the edge of line of trees when Charles stopped up short, turning to face Erik again, concern sparking in those endlessly brilliant eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he said, reaching up to cup Erik’s face, stroking a thumb over his cheekbone. “I had to get away, I couldn’t keep hearing their thoughts all buzzing around like a mob of stupefied bees.” His brow furrowed in concern before continuing quietly. “Are you alright? Please tell me you’re alright.”

Erik didn’t know quite how to respond. Part of him- a big part of him- still felt nauseous and trapped. But there was something about Charles’s presence, and the presence of the dimly glowing bond between them that put his mind at ease. Even when their relationship, whatever it was, had been brought out in the open, Charles hadn’t shied away from it. Instead, he had worn what Raven had intended to be an insult like a badge of honor. He was proud to be whatever he was to Erik, and everyone had seen that, Erik perhaps most of all. For reasons that were still somewhat beyond him, Charles was there to stay. With sudden clarity, Erik realized he wanted to stay too.

A guarded smile spread itself across Erik’s face, growing brighter when Charles’s gaze softened in relief. “You’re not going anywhere?” Erik asked cautiously, even though he knew the answer.

Charles let out a breathless laugh. “Of course I’m not going anywhere! Are you going anywhere?” he replied quickly, searching Erik’s face.

“Of course not!” Erik’s voice was much higher than normal in his excitement, his smile infectious. Charles grinned just before crashing their lips together. Their tongues tangled together messily, all emotion and no technique, but neither of them really cared. Erik looped an arm around the small of Charles’s back, pulling him in close and felt Charles wrap his arms around his neck securely. It was some minutes later when they pulled apart, needing to breathe. Charles smiled as he rested his forehead against Erik’s collarbone, Erik’s fingers carding absentmindedly through his hair.

When they had both caught their breath, the adrenaline that had been coursing through them easing away and the bond between them calming from an excited buzz to a contented hum, Charles raised his head from Erik’s chest to meet his eyes.

“Come on,” he said, taking Erik’s hand again and leading him to the nearest tree. “There should still be a few good apples that haven’t fallen yet. And then we need to figure out exactly how this thing works.” He tapped a finger gently to Erik’s temple.

After they had finished their breakfast of fresh apples, Charles and Erik settled stretched under the boughs of a giant oak on the edge of the orchard. The rough bark dug into Erik’s back, contrasting with the warmth that was Charles pressed against the length of his side, soft hand resting on top of Erik’s own. Charles hummed contentedly and brushed a quick kiss to the corner of Erik’s mouth before pulling away to look him in the eye.

“Are you ready to figure out what’s going on up here?” he asked, brushing a hand through Erik’s hair.

Erik leaned into the touch. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

Charles furrowed his brow, biting his bottom lip as he brought his left hand up to press two fingers to his temple, but Erik grabbed his wrist lightly to stop him.

“You don’t need that,” he said quietly. “You know you don’t.” He released Charles’s arm, smiling when Charles dropped it back to his side, rubbing a nervous circle with his thumb over his knee.

“Okay,” he muttered, brow still furrowed. Erik felt the ever-present bond burn brighter again, his smile broadening when Charles’s own grin began to creep cautiously onto his face.

“ _It’s incredible how easy this is,_ ” Charles said, his excitement apparent even in his thoughts. “ _Your brain is so organized; it’s almost like a whole library of filing cabinets._ ”

Erik chuckled. “ _Is that a bad thing?_ ”

Charles’s shook his head, still smiling. “ _Of course not. Some people’s thoughts are like a jumble of twine or something- all tangled up. It’s… nice to be in your mind. It doesn’t give me a headache,_ ” he leaned forward and gave Erik an affectionate peck on the forehead.

“ _Are you reading my mind right now?_ ” Erik asked, casually taking Charles’s hand in his own.

“ _No,_ ” Charles replied, shaking his head again. “ _I can just hear what you’re saying and get a general read on your thoughts. But **all** your thoughts and memories are there for me to access. They kind of… have little pictures on them? Like the cover of a book. I’m sorry; it’s difficult for me to explain. I can tell which ones you want kept locked away, though, or which ones you’ve forgotten, but I can see them all._ ” Charles’s voice in Erik’s head matched the look of wonder and curiosity on his face. Through the connection, Erik could tell that Charles wanted to look at some of them. Before, this might have disconcerted him, but now… he could feel Charles too. He knew there was nothing Charles would do without his permission because he could sense just how important his trust was to the telepath.

“ _It’s alright if you want to take a look at one,_ ” he offered, and he could tell that Charles could tell how much he wanted to see some of his old memories too.

Erik could feel an odd sensation, sort of like a tickle, as Charles frowned, rifling through his memories before finally smiling softly when he found one he wanted. Suddenly, Charles’s face faded to the background, as an image of Erik’s mother letting him light the Menorah slowly swam into view. He remembered that, despite the dangers, his mother and father had encouraged him to learn everything he would need to know for his Bar Mitzvah.

“As soon as this is all over,” his mother had said, he realized now, with more confidence than she felt, “we’ll gather all our friends and relatives together and have a big celebration for you. You’ll be glad you worked so hard.”

As she watched him quietly reciting the two Brachot and lit the candle for the night, he could see her face shining with pride and love. She reached out and ran a hand down his cheek, and he could almost still feel it’s warm trail from his temple to his jaw, tender and comforting. When he reached his hand up to meet hers however, he felt only his own cold fingers, his cheek damp with tears he hadn’t known he’d shed. His mother’s smiling face disappeared completely.

Erik let out a breath he had been holding and closed his eyes, making more tears spill down his face as he rested his head back against the trunk of the oak tree. After a moment, he felt a tentative hand enclose his once more; he must have let got of Charles when the memory had started. Swallowing hard, he opened his eyes and met Charles’s equally watery gaze.

“Are you okay?” he asked thickly, reaching up to brush a hand unnecessarily through Erik’s hair.

Erik nodded, unable to speak just now.

“ _I’m sorry,_ ” Charles thought, wrapping Erik in his arms just as he wrapped himself tighter around the metal-bender’s mind. “ _That was too much. I should have warned you._ ”

Erik’s laugh surprised even himself, and he held Charles closer, burying his nose in the soft wool of his cardigan. “Don’t you ever apologize for that again,” he choked out. He felt Charles press a soft kiss to the junction of his jaw and neck and he sighed before gripping the telepath tighter.

It was close to a half an hour before Erik and Charles returned to the mansion, hand in hand. To Erik’s chagrin, Moira was waiting for them in the study, a concerned frown on her face. He opened his mouth to say something derisive about turning them in to the government for being gay _and_ mutants, but Charles sent him a warning thought over the connection.

“ _It’s not about us._ ”

“There’s something I think you should both see,” Moira said, her words clipped and anxious.

Minutes later, when he and Charles sat in front of the small black and white television in the study, watching President Kennedy announce his intentions to stop the Russians at all costs, Erik understood why she was so tense.

“It’s happening tomorrow.” Moira’s voice was quiet, muffled by the closeness of the room. “We’d better warn the others.”


	6. Chapter 6

The atmosphere in the dining room was tense, people were scattered around the table, some standing, some sitting stonily in the ornate hard-backed chairs. Charles had opted to stand at the head of the table, Erik a hair’s breadth behind him at his shoulder. After a quick debate they had decided that it would be best if Charles was the one to tell the children about the upcoming fight in his usual, calm manner. Despite his outward appearance, however, Charles was nervous. No matter how hard he tried to convince everyone else that tomorrow would not end in bloodshed, deep down he knew that there would hardly be any other way of stopping Shaw than killing him. No prison in the world could hold a mutant that powerful or keep out the other members of the Hellfire Club if they attempted to free him. The carnage at the old CIA base was testament to how dangerous locking Shaw up would be.

Charles took a deep breath to steel himself. Raven was glaring daggers at him from her seat the farthest down the table on the left. She had turned herself blue, inexplicably because he still wouldn’t read her mind if she didn’t want him to. However, the distinct waves of anger and disappointment radiating from her seemed to point to defiance as the explanation for her change of heart and skin color. Charles shook himself mentally, unconsciously reaching for the comfort of his bond with Erik as he opened his mouth to speak.

“I’m afraid I have some shocking news,” he began awkwardly. How was he supposed to tell all these children that tomorrow they were going to have to fight to possibly stop World War Three? To his surprise he felt something like a mental brush of the hand from Erik and realized he must have been projecting. He rushed on. “The Russians are going to reach the embargo line tomorrow, and we know Shaw will be there to make sure his plan goes through without a hitch. So, that means we’ll be there too.”

He paused, letting this new information sink in. Hank let out a quiet breath, his shoulders caving as he sat back in his chair staring dumbfounded at the table. Sean, who was slumped against the wall, exchanged a wide-eyed look with Alex, who was leaned against the door frame opposite, his mouth opened slightly in alarm. Moira’s face was a neutral mask from her seat closest to Charles, but encouraging thoughts were whirling through her mind. “ _Do it quickly and efficiently, like setting a bone._ ”

“I ordered food in from town, it’s in the kitchen now, so everyone can spend tonight focusing on the tasks ahead tomorrow. I’d encourage you all to eat and then go to bed early so you can get plenty of rest. We’ll be up at six-thirty. Meet in the entryway. If anyone needs me, I’ll be in my study.” There was nothing more he could say, so with a quick, awkward nod, Charles turned on his heel, took Erik’s arm, and left the room.

Neither of them was very hungry with the weight of the next day on their shoulders, but when Charles tried to lead them up to his study, Erik tugged him towards the kitchen.

“We need to eat, even if we don’t want to,” Erik said with a simple shrug when Charles looked at him questioningly. Together, they padded to the kitchen and silently piled their plates with chicken and mashed potatoes and green beans. Erik summoned two silverware sets from the drawer and followed as Charles led the way back to his study.

The food felt tasteless in Charles’s mouth, but he forced it down in a steady routine of cut, chew, swallow, cut, chew, swallow, until his plate was almost empty and he was interrupted by a soft knock on the study door. He glanced up at Erik, who was sitting back in his armchair, staring at the wall, having finished his food already. He turned and raised his eyebrows at Charles, as if asking if he was going to get it.

Charles frowned and set his plate on the coffee table to go answer the door. He expected to see Moira on the other side, dropping by to perhaps debrief the two of them, or say goodnight before heading off to bed as she sometimes did. However, when Charles swung the door open, his expectant smile slipped from his face as his eyes met, not the dark brown of Moira’s, but rather the striking yellow of Raven’s, still in her own skin.

Raven’s arms were folded across her chest and her brow was furrowed, but the expression on her face was pleading and hopeful. “Can I come in?” she asked quietly, shifting her weight from one bare foot to another nervously.

“Of course.” Charles voice was only slightly less tense than his body, but nevertheless, he opened the door wider and stepped back to allow Raven into the room, closing the door softly behind her. He went back to his seat and gestured for Raven, who was standing awkwardly in the middle of the room to take a seat on the couch, but she didn’t move.

“You’re allowed to sit down if you wan-,” he began unnecessarily, but suddenly Raven exploded.

“I’m sorry for the way I acted this morning,” she blurted out, looking imploringly from Charles to Erik, who, Charles saw when he turned to look, was staring determinedly at a spot just over Raven’s shoulder. “Both of you. I’m sorry.”

There was a long pause. Charles could feel Erik’s thoughts buzzing as his brow furrowed and looked down at the carpet. His mind was bubbling with renewed anger, annoyance at having to deal with the subject again, and a desire to remain civil because Raven was, after all, Charles’s sister and a fellow mutant upon whom his life may depend tomorrow.

“ _Look at me,_ ” Charles said imploringly, tilting his head down slightly to catch Erik’s gaze.

Erik’s eyes flickered to meet Charles’s, steely grey locked onto clear blue. Charles smiled and saw some of the tension relaxing from Erik’s shoulders even as it ebbed from their connection.

“ _You talk to her, please, Charles, I don’t think I can deal with this right now on top of everything else. Call me when you’ve finished._ ”

“ _Of course._ ”

Raven watched their silent conversation with an odd expression, but she stiffened when Erik suddenly rose.

“I’ll take these back downstairs,” he said gruffly, not making eye contact with Raven as he gathered the plates in his hands and exited the room.

A sharp silence followed Erik’s departure, Charles watching Raven evenly as she worried the edge of her skirt.

“He’s angry with me,” she stated, unable to quite hold Charles’s gaze.

“With good reason. Your behavior at breakfast was appalling. I expected more from you. Do you know how uncomfortable it made everyone, not just me and Erik? You very near split this group in two, Raven. If anyone were to have actually left where would we be tomorrow?” Charles’s voice got louder almost of it’s own accord as he got more and more worked up.

“All his life, Erik was persecuted for who he was, and finally, when he thought he had some measure of peace, you outed him to everyone without warning. Erik is a mentor for everyone here. He’s been helping everyone train without complaint, and I would think him totally justified if he didn’t want to talk to you or be around you for a very long time.”

Raven looked down at the rug, but Charles couldn’t stop himself now that he had started. There was a glaring awkwardness in their relationship that had been skirted around for far too long, and tonight, he decided, was the night to address it. He lowered his tone before continuing.

“Raven,” he said, and the unexpected softness in his voice made her look up. There were tears of shame in her eyes, but she hadn’t shed them yet. “You’ve been my best friend for almost fifteen years, and I don’t want that to end tonight. But you and I both know that for a while now, you’ve wanted something more, and I can’t give that to you.”

Raven let out a small breath and brought her hands up to shield her face as the tears finally started to fall. Choked sobs began to fill the space, and before Charles would have moved to comfort her, but now he found himself rooted to the chair.

“I’m sorry.” Charles truly meant it. “I waited and waited, hoping it would go away, but I don’t think it ever really did. You’ve only ever been like a sister to me, and I want you to be happy with someone that feels the same way about you that you do about them. You deserve that.”

The room was quiet, save for Raven’s slowly quieting cries, for a while. Charles could do nothing but sit staring at the carpet, lost in thought. After several more minutes, Raven took in a shuddering breath, then, steeling herself, looked up at Charles, her eyes still brimming with tears. “If something bad happens tomorrow-” Charles stood and opened his mouth to interrupt her, but she gave him a look that made him stop. “If something goes wrong,” she continued, “I want you to know that I’m sorry too. About this morning… and… for behaving like a child whenever you would pick up random girls from the pub.” She chucked despite herself, and Charles smiled gratefully, but she took a deep breath and turned serious again. “I’m glad you’re happy with Erik. I think… I think you two are good for each other. But right now, I think I’m going to have a chat with Hank and go to bed. I want to try to get him to put that whole formula thing off till tomorrow, it’s too risky tonight.”

“Good idea,” Charles replied.

They stood uncomfortably for a moment, when suddenly, she surged at him, wrapping him in a tight hug for a fraction of a second before turning on her heel and fairly sprinting from the room. Charles let out a sigh of relief when she’d gone and slumped back in his chair. It wasn’t much, but it was a start. Hopefully, with time, their relationship would return to it’s normal, sibling-y state.

Time, Charles thought suddenly, coming back to the present. The night was ticking by too quickly, but there was still one thing he needed to sort out before he could allow himself to sleep soundly.

“ _It’s safe, love,_ ” Charles sent over the connection, which, he noted, was just as strong even with Erik two floors away. There was a hummed response and soon Erik was entering the room, closing the door conspicuously behind him.

“All sorted out?” Erik asked, trying (and failing) to sound nonchalant instead of icy.

Charles rose from his chair to wrap his arms around Erik’s neck, pulling him in for a soft kiss. “She’s sorry,” he murmured. “I know that doesn’t count for much right now, but she is. You don’t need to worry about any more outbursts.”

Erik made an appreciative noise in the back of his throat and pecked Charles quickly on the temple. “I love you,” he said simply.

Charles’s stomach flopped; that would never get old, ever, even if Erik said a hundred times a day for the rest of their lives. “I love you too,” he said, brushing another kiss across Erik’s lips. “Which is why I wanted to talk to you about something.”

Erik looked questioningly at him.

“I’ve known for a long time that your goal wasn’t to stop Shaw. You want to kill him.”

Erik froze in Charles’s arms, but before he could pull away or completely close off, Charles continued quickly. “I understand why. Before, if I hadn’t seen some of your reasoning behind it, I might have asked you to reconsider, but I’m not going to. Besides, I’m not sure there’s another way to stop him- no prison would ever hold him for long even if we could get him into custody. I don’t relish the thought of killing someone, but I don’t see any other way.”

Charles gazed imploringly at Erik. If it weren’t for the gentle hum of the connection, Charles wouldn’t have been able to tell if Erik was even alive from his stillness. “Erik, please say somethi-” but Charles was cut off when Erik’s mouth suddenly crashed into his, hard and desperate with a swirl of want, relief, and love. Charles was so surprised he stumbled backwards and into one of the bookcases built into the wall.

He let out a feeble groan as he collided with the hard shelving, several thick book spines digging into his back, but Erik paid no heed to his discomfort, kissing him with such ferocity that Charles’s head thumped back against a line of encyclopedias.

“Erik,” he moaned, clutching first at the bookshelf then at the fabric of Erik’s turtleneck, desperately trying to yank it over his head.

Erik groaned in response, rolling his hips so his erection brushed against Charles’s own. Reluctantly, Erik momentarily halted his quest to undo all of the buttons on Charles’s shirt to allow Charles to pull his shirt off.

The telepath moaned in appreciation, tossing the turtleneck carelessly aside to allow his hands to wander freely over the newly exposed skin as Erik undid the last of his buttons.

“ _OhGodyesErik,_ ” Charles projected, his breath becoming ragged when Erik began palming him through his trousers. He could feel Erik grinning self-satisfied against his jaw. Their lips ghosted over each other, alternating surprisingly soft kisses, gentle nips, and light brushes of their tongues. Charles gasped, tilting back his head to allow Erik better access to the sensitive skin of his neck, tangling his fingers in Erik’s short, coarse hair when he sucked at his pulse point. He heard Erik hiss as he rocked his hips upwards insistently, craving more friction than Erik was giving.

“Charles,” Erik gritted out from a place near the telepath’s collarbone.

“Erik,” he replied, his voice strained with the effort of keeping even.

Erik only moaned in response, slowly pushing Charles’s shirt from his shoulders and down his arms, letting it pool to the floor behind him. He trailed his lips up Charles’s neck up to his mouth, where he placed a sweet, almost reverent kiss. When he pulled back, Charles was surprised to see the emotion brimming in his stormy eyes.

“I love you,” he breathed, and Charles felt warmth bleed into him from Erik’s mind. “I really do, you know. I love you.”

One corner of Charles’s mouth quirked up in a smile and he took one of Erik’s hands that was braced against the bookshelf. “I know,” he whispered, wrapping his other arm around the small of the metal bender’s back to bring him closer. Their noses brushed gently together and Erik’s lips parted instinctively, but Charles did not kiss him quite yet. “I love you.”

Erik let out a shaky breath almost like a laugh before claiming Charles’s soft, too-red lips once more. Charles felt his hand sliding smoothly up the side of the bookshelf, guided and eventually pinned almost halfway up by Erik’s, while his other hand hastily undid both their pants. He only just managed to free both their erections when Erik groaned and rocked against Charles, pushing him flush with the bookcase again. A short, high-pitched moan escaped Charles’s lips as Erik took both of them in his free hand.

“God, _Erik_ ,” he said roughly, bucking his hips to the rhythm Erik had set.

Erik was breathing heavily, his forehead pressed against Charles’s, their noses bumping occasionally with the rocking movement of their bodies. Charles could feel the books leaving indents in the skin of his back with every forward thrust of Erik’s hips, but he didn’t care. Gasping, he clutched at Erik’s chest with the hand that was not pinned to the bookcase, their hot breath coming out in short bursts that mingled in each other’s mouths.

Charles could feel the connection thrumming, and was sure Erik was as close as he was, but suddenly he pulled away his hand. Charles moaned at the loss of contact, mouth twitching down into a frown when Erik also released his other hand. For a terrible moment he was afraid he had done something wrong, but before he could open his mouth to voice his concerns, he saw Erik raise a hand to his mouth, spitting deftly onto his fingers.

Erik looked up suddenly into Charles’s eyes, and Charles could feel himself melt, wrapping his arms around Erik’s neck, kissing him fiercely, making sure Erik was braced against the sturdy pine supports before hooking his legs around the metal bender’s middle. One of Erik’s strong arms held him securely around his hips as they fell against the bookshelf, their chests flush, Charles arching against Erik’s solidness, causing their cocks to brush together as he licked open Erik’s mouth.

Erik groaned into his mouth, his spit-slick hand delving in between their bodies, between Charles’s spread legs. A strangled noise from Erik interrupted their kiss. He pressed their foreheads together hard once more.

“Charles,” he breathed, his voice almost guttural. Charles keened, the combined forces of Erik’s nimbly working fingers and his frantically churning thoughts bringing him to the brink more quickly than he was ready for. He hastily steeled himself against his own release.

Erik withdrew his hand to spit in it once more, making a final effort to ensure Charles was ready before bracing his back more securely against the bookcase. The telepath, whose eyes had been shut, his head lolled back and little incoherent noises falling from his lips as Erik carefully prepared him, lifted his head from the spines of the books behind him and gazed evenly into Erik’s eyes. The metal bender was flushed, his hair disheveled from Charles’s hands. Watching Charles’s face for signs of discomfort, he rolled his hips forward, pushing slowly inside so as not to hurt him.

A light thump, followed by a groan resounded around the otherwise quiet room when Erik’s body collided with Charles’s into the bookshelf. Charles tangled his fingers in Erik’s hair, bringing the metal bender’s mouth up from where it had buried in Charles’s shoulder for a hungry kiss, sliding his tongue along Erik’s with a short, high-pitched moan. Then Erik started moving and Charles had to break away, gasping at the perfect angle with each thrust upwards of his hips. Erik dropped his head to Charles’s neck, trailing messy kisses down to his shoulder. The connection hummed more and more insistently between them, creating a loop of feeling for them both, and Charles could tell neither he nor Erik would last much longer.

Erik probably could tell this too. He made a noise like a growl against Charles’s shoulder, biting just hard enough to leave a mark before moving up to claim Charles’s mouth. Erik grinned into the kiss, taking Charles’s tongue into his mouth and sucking on it wickedly. Charles couldn’t stand it any longer. He broke away to clutched at Erik’s back and arms, burying his face in his neck and letting out a choked cry against the surprisingly soft skin as, with one final perfectly aimed thrust, he spent himself in between their bodies.

“Oh God, _Charles_ ,” Erik gritted through clenched teeth.

Still shaking with the aftershocks, Charles placed a gentle kiss to Erik’s temple.

“Come for me,” he whispered in Erik’s ear, nipping lightly at his earlobe.

Erik groaned loudly somewhere near Charles’s shoulder bucking his hips erratically as his orgasm washed over him, Charles rubbing gentle circles over his back until he ceased his movements.

They stayed pressed together against the bookshelf, breathing heavily, until finally Erik pulled slowly away, carefully helping Charles get back on his shaky feet. When they were both standing, Charles wrapped his arms around Erik, hugging the taller man to him for a soft kiss.

“Time for bed, I think?” he asked when they pulled away.

Erik grinned contentedly, nuzzling into Charles’s hair. “Bed,” he agreed.

They pulled their clothes back on haphazardly, not really caring how disheveled they looked- everyone else would have probably gone to bed or their rooms anyway. Sure enough, when they ventured out of the study and into the landing, there was no one on the stairs. Charles took Erik’s hand as they climbed the staircase and took the hallway that led to their bedroom. Neither of them spoke when they reached the door or when they went inside and changed mechanically into their pyjamas. The weight of tomorrow had started to sink in now that the afterglow had worn off and talking didn’t seem appropriate; they were both too lost in their own thoughts anyway.

Charles slid under the covers, joining Erik who was already reclined against the pillows. Automatically, he molded himself against Erik’s warm, solid body, resting his head on Erik’s broad chest and tossing an arm over his waist to pull him closer. Erik carded his fingers through Charles’s soft hair absentmindedly.

“Thank you,” he said suddenly, his words muffled against Charles’s temple.

Charles tilted his head upwards, capturing Erik’s mouth in a brief kiss. “There’s so much more to you than you used to know,” Charles whispered against Erik’s lips. “I know you won’t forget that tomorrow. I know. Shaw can’t take anything else away from you. I won’t let him.”

Erik let out a shaky breath, his lips twitching upwards almost unsurely. He pulled Charles closer to him, relief reverberating between them through the connection. One of his hands moved from its firm hold on the small of his back to cup his cheek, a thumb brushing lightly over the cheekbone. Charles smiled back at him.

“It will all be over tomorrow, love,” he said quietly. “Don’t worry.”

Erik was speechless. He kept looking at Charles as if he couldn’t believe he was quite real. Charles’s grin widened. He closed his eyes and snuggled closer to Erik, resting their foreheads together. Eventually, Charles felt Erik’s breath even out, his thoughts muddied with sleep. The telepath nuzzled into Erik’s chest, feeling his own mind drifting towards unconsciousness. They fell asleep, forgetting the dangers of tomorrow in the safety of each other’s arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The sex scene was largely inspired by Atonement, which I also do not own.


	7. Chapter 7

The morning was a blur of nerves and activity. Erik and Charles had awoken to the insistently rattling alarm clock at six and quickly showered and dressed for breakfast. The atmosphere around the kitchen table was electric with tension, but barely anyone had spoken a word as they swallowed down their cereal, toast, eggs, and bacon, without thinking or tasting. In the daylight, the confidence that had settled over Erik while lying in bed in Charles’s arms last night had dissipated to be replaced with a myriad emotions- anxiety and excitement chief among them. If today went correctly he would be free of the burden of Shaw forever, free to make a new life here with Charles and the others. If, however, it went poorly… Erik shook his head slightly at the thought and forced down another swig of coffee.

After breakfast, Hank led the way to the lab and showed them the suits he had designed for them all. They were bullet proof and g-force resistant. Alex’s and Sean’s were equipped with the plasma focusing plate and retractable wings that Hank had been trying to perfect since they had all arrived at Westchester.

“Everyone suit up and we’ll head to the airbase together,” Charles instructed, grabbing his own suit out of the silver crate and heading towards his and Erik’s bedroom. “We’ll meet in the entryway in ten minutes.”

A hum of agreement followed his words, and Erik quickly grabbed his suit and trotted after Charles. They dressed quickly back in the bedroom, and seeing Charles clasp the belt finally low over his hips, Erik quickly pulled the telepath to him for a hard kiss.

“Charles,” he said roughly, pulling away sooner than he wanted to, “if today goes wrong-”

Charles silenced him with another fierce kiss. “It won’t,” he breathed, the hand resting against Erik’s chest rubbing soothing circles with his thumb. “It won’t.”

With a desperate noise, Erik brought their lips crashing together once more, hungrily, nervously, trying to convey how much he cared without words. Charles moaned into his mouth regretfully.

“We have to go,” he whispered, dragging a hand through Erik’s hair to smooth it down. “We’ll have time later, I promise.”

Erik pressed his forehead against Charles’s shoulder briefly as though he could melt into him. They didn’t have to go. He didn’t have to risk Charles’s life. He could make the bedpost twist around his arms, keeping him here for his own good, saving him from Shaw. Charles wouldn’t use his powers to stop him, he was sure of it. But he couldn’t do it. Without Charles’s gifts there would be no way he could kill Shaw, and he had to kill him. Peace was never an option when it came to the man that had killed his mother, and Charles knew this now. He wanted to help Erik, even if that meant giving up a shred of his naivety towards humanity.

Erik looked back up into Charles’s piercing blue eyes. “Come on,” he said, pressing one more kiss to the telepath’s forehead. “Let’s go.”

The drive to the airbase was tense. On top of everything else, Raven and Hank seemed to be not on speaking terms. Raven was also conspicuously blue, and Erik thought perhaps that had something to do with it. He shrugged it off, only hoping that their awkwardness didn’t affect the way they would fight today and not caring much beyond that. They reached the airbase at seven thirty and promptly took off. It would take two hours to reach Cuba in the jet.

~

The embargo line was chaos, even more so after Charles made the Russians blow up their own ship. Through of the haze of confusion, Erik’s mind remained clear, sharp, focused on his goal, his thoughts an insistent tattoo of _ShawShawShawShawShaw_. Except they had no way of finding him in the submarine.

“Yes we do,” Sean said suddenly.

Charles looked over at Erik triumphantly. “Yes we do,” he repeated. All three of them quickly unbuckled themselves to hurry to the Bombay doors, and then Sean was soaring away, the location of the submarine sent to Charles. Hank guided the plane to the coordinates.

Erik’s heart beat hard against his chest, every nerve singing as he climbed onto the wheel of the Blackbird, one hand hovering out above the water, feeling for the metallic call of Shaw’s submarine. Suddenly, he caught it in the magnetic pull of his hand. Frowning in concentration, he willed it towards him, but it would not come. He panicked, calling it frantically to him even as he felt it slipping away. No. He couldn’t do it. He wouldn’t be able to avenge his mother, or finally end his manhunt. He would never have a quiet, peaceful life with Charles he had finally begun to hope for, and the world would be ripped apart in Shaw’s quest for domination. He would only ever be a weapon.

Then Charles’s voice sounded calmly in his mind. “ _You can do this, Erik,_ ” he said, the brush of his thoughts like a caress. “ _You’re not alone. I’m here with you. I know you can do it._ ”

 _I’m not alone_. The thought echoed through him, sinking into his very bones. He thought back to the first time he had met Charles, the telepath’s arms strong around his chest as he tried to pull him back to the surface, his voice reverberating through Erik’s mind; he thought about when Charles had stopped him from leaving the CIA base with just words, no powers; he remembered their cross-country road trip and the way he and Charles grew steadily closer over nightly chess games and hours and hours of driving, Charles occasionally falling asleep against the window, and Erik turning away to try and quench the warmth that had started to glow somewhere in his chest.

Finally he remembered the way Charles had felt the first time they kissed, frantic and eager; how pliant Charles would become whenever Erik worried the skin of his neck with his lips and teeth; the noises Charles always made against Erik’s lips, his neck, his chest, in between his shoulder blades as he came; the way his eyes sparkled with affection over the chessboard when he and Erik would banter; the upward curve of his lips as he whispered “I love you” and their lips brushed together.

Erik smiled. The weight of the submarine was reduced to nothing as he raised it from the water to hover next to the plane. He could vaguely hear Charles cheering him on as he hung over the side of the wheel opening. Then he saw the figure climb out of the submarine’s hatch, pause for a moment before spinning, creating a water tornado that quickly bridged the distance between the submarine and the Blackbird. His heart leapt in his chest. He had to hold on just a few seconds more. The beach was almost there. He heard Charles screaming for him to grab hold of his hand, but he couldn’t risk it. One second more…

The whirlwind hit them and the plane dipped and spun. With a tremendous effort, Erik threw the submarine at the white, palm tree studded beach below them before grabbing desperately onto Charles. The telepath had barely pulled him safely into the plane when their world began to tip sideways. Erik hurdled himself over Charles, pinning them both to the floor as the plane spun wildly over and over, the sound of ripping metal renting the air as, with a screech, they landed upside-down on the beach next to the fallen submarine.

Erik carefully lowered them onto ground, letting Charles help him to his feet before they both went to check on the others.

“Raven, are you alright?” Charles asked, helping his sister from her safety harness.

“I’m fine,” she said shakily.

Charles turned to the others who were carefully extracting themselves from their seats. “Alex? Hank? Moira?”

“All fine,” Erik confirmed, helping Alex to his feet as Hank stumbled in from the cockpit with Moira in tow.

“Good,” Charles breathed. “Moira, you stay here and try to get the com to work in case we need to get through to the fleet. Hank, you help her. Raven, Alex, come with me and Erik, I’ll show you what to do when we get outside. “

Moira and Hank quickly scuttled back to the cockpit area, surveying the mess of wires from the broken plane, while the rest of them climbed from the wreckage through the rip between the two halves of the Blackbird. Outside, Shaw’s two henchmen and, Charles saw with a pang, Angel, were waiting for them. Before they could move, however, Charles reached out with his mind.

“ _Go to sleep_ ,” he commanded them, and watched as they stumbled forward dazedly before crumpling to the ground. He rushed forward, followed swiftly by Erik, Alex, and Raven.

“Watch them,” Charles said. “Tie them up if you have to. They shouldn’t wake up for a while. Erik and I will go in for Shaw alone.”

Raven looked ready to protest, but Charles flashed her a meaningful look and she closed her mouth, turning back to the prisoners.

Erik stretched out a hand and a section of the submarine folded outwards, big enough for Charles and Erik to run through into what looked like the control room.

“He’s draining a nuclear reactor at the back of the sub. We have to turn it off.” Charles gestured to series of switches and a lever built into the wall. Erik hastily pulled the lever down, shutting down the power to the reactor and following after Charles through a door into a completely disheveled study.

Charles frowned at the wall in front of them. “He’s through there. He has to be, there’s no where else he could be, but I can’t quite get a reading-” Suddenly, the wall split in two, creating a doorway into a small room, covered by mirrors on all sides. Standing in the doorway, wearing a ridiculous metal helmet, was Shaw. Erik’s blood turned to ice in his veins.

“Erik,” Shaw crooned, a smile pasted unconvincingly across his half-hidden face. “I see you brought a friend.”

Charles stood tensely next to Erik, his eyes shifting from his to Shaw’s, waiting for one of them to make the first move. The warm hum of Charles’s mind washed over Erik, radiating with protectiveness.

“ _Erik you have to get that helmet off. I can’t freeze him with it on._ ”

“Come on, boys,” Shaw said, walking forward with his arms outstretched. “Must this all end in violence? I’m trying to make a better world for our kind. One where we won’t be judged by these gifts evolution has given us.” He turned to Erik. “You’ve been judged by humans who were afraid before, Erik. I’m sorry for what happened in the camps. I’m trying to prevent that again. Isn’t that a good thing?”

“Nuclear war won’t leave all the mutants behind unscathed,” Charles cut in before Erik could open his mouth. “And it wouldn’t kill all the humans either. Are you really so stupid to think that this could ever come to any good?”

“ _Charles, don’t try to reason with him_ ,” Erik pleaded. His body was screaming for him to pounce on Shaw the way he was looking at Charles now, like he was something to crush beneath his boot, something amusing but oh so little and insignificant.

Shaw’s teeth glinted underneath the helmet, his smile not quite reaching his cold, dark eyes. He clucked at Charles, wagging a finger condescendingly before turning to Erik. “Time to reign in your dog, son,” he said.

Something in Erik snapped. Rushing forward, he kicked hard at Shaw’s side, hoping to throw him off balance and snatch away the helmet, but as soon as his foot collided with Shaw, it stopped. The man’s skin seemed to ripple for a moment, absorbing the impact. He shook himself slightly and smiled dangerously back at Erik, who was rooted to the spot in surprise and fear.

He glanced over Erik’s shoulder at Charles. “Didn’t quite get a full reading on Emma there, did you champ?” he crowed. “If you did, you might’ve discovered that I too have a rather special ability of my own. You see I can absorb all types of energy, not just chemical, and spit it _right back out again_.” He punctuated the last four words pointedly before turning his gaze back to Erik.

Before the metal bender could think to react, Shaw outstretched a single finger, touching it to Erik’s shoulder. He went spiraling through the air, ricocheting into the wall and knocking a painting to the ground with him. He felt the skin of his back bruising instantly and cringed in pain. Charles let out a startled shout and rushed to help him back to his feet, but Shaw was faster.

He darted over to where Erik was sprawled on the ground with surprising agility, crouching down to cup his jaw almost lovingly. “This is all very cute, really,” he said, his eyes dancing with madness. “You just wait till you see my future. Then you’ll know how stupid you were to want to try and stop me.” He frowned suddenly, hearing Charles’s footsteps behind him. Erik looked over Shaw’s shoulder and saw Charles poised to rip off the helmet, but Shaw turned suddenly. The hand holding Erik’s jaw released him, lashing out at Charles’s stomach instead.

Charles cried out in pain as he was thrown backwards into the upturned desk in the corner. He clutched at his stomach, a choked sob wrenching itself from his throat. One of his ribs felt broken. Over the connection he felt Erik’s thoughts screaming, wanting to grab him and run, but not being able to. They had to finish this, there was no other option. But it seemed Shaw was unbeatable with the helmet blocking Charles’s telepathic powers.

Shaw made to walk over to Charles, and not knowing what else to do, Erik threw himself desperately at his retreating figure, wrapping his arms around his legs and bringing them both crashing to the ground. It might not have done much good overall, but Charles was free to run.

“Go!” Erik shouted. “Run, Charles, you don’t have to-” Erik’s words were interrupted by a groan as Shaw kicked backwards and his foot collided with Erik’s collarbone.

Shaw stood, brushing fragments of glass from his suit as he walked over to Charles who as frozen in pain and shock, unsure what of what move to make next.

“ _I’m not leaving you here,_ ” he said to Erik, the voice in his thoughts probably stronger than his physical voice at the moment.

“I told you to call off your dog, Erik,” Shaw said quietly, his tone radiating annoyance and the most dangerous trace of excitement. “Seems I’m going to have to take care of him myself.” He reached out and grasped Charles by the throat, lifting him high off the ground as though he weighed nothing at all.

Charles gasped, clutching at Shaw’s arm, trying to tear his hand away, but of course it was useless.

“Charles!” Erik shouted, his chest and shoulder throbbing as he hurtled forward, but Shaw splayed a hand out behind himself, and an invisible wall of force erupted between Erik and his target. He pounded and kicked helplessly at the air as angry sobs clawed their way out of his throat. In his mind, Charles’s presence was growing dimmer and dimmer, the frenzy of his thoughts calling out for Erik drifted steadily away as Charles’s eyes brilliantly blue eyes began to flicker shut.

“ _I’m sorry, Erik._ ” The voice was faint in his head and Erik felt like he was going to be sick.

“ _No, Charles._ ” This wasn’t happening. This _wasn’t_ happening. Shaw wasn’t going to take anything else away from him, Charles had said that. Never again. There were still so many things he and Charles needed to do together. He couldn’t go for the rest of his life without Charles’s calming, warm presence at the back of his mind, even if he was probably only going to live five minutes more.

Suddenly, he felt all the metal around him thrumming, ready for his command. This was easy. If Charles needed him, Shaw’s stupid little wall wasn’t going to stand in his way. A pipe hidden in the side of the submarine called out most particularly to him. He sensed its weight, how sleek and sharp it was. He gestured slightly and it ripped itself from the wall on the other side of the force field, shooting through Shaw’s side like a javelin.

Immediately, Shaw’s body began rejecting it, spitting it out, but he had been distracted just enough. His grasp on Charles’s neck loosened, and Charles fell, gasping air back into his lungs as Erik raced forward and snatched the helmet off Shaw’s head. Shaw turned, his face contorted in surprise as he raised a hand to grab the helmet back, but with a shout from Charles, he suddenly froze.

Erik tossed the helmet carelessly aside and rushed over to Charles. The telepath was shaking as the blessed air coursed through his body, two fingers pressed hard against his temple, his other hand cradling his ribs. Erik pulled Charles to his feet and into a gentle embrace, careful not to jostle him as he leaned closer to press a relieved kiss to Charles’s forehead.

Charles allowed himself to lean into the touch briefly before pulling away. “You have to do it now,” he said roughly. “I can’t hold him much longer.”

“You’ll feel this.” It wasn’t a question, but Charles nodded anyway. “Then I’ll feel it too.” He took Charles’s hand and led them both around to face Shaw, levitating the old Nazi coin from his pocket. He thought perhaps he should say something, but nothing really came to mind. He was ready to have this part of his life over with, so he said the only thing that came to mind. “This is for my mother. Goodbye.”

Using all his force he pushed the Nazi coin through Shaw’s skull as quickly as he could. Pain sliced through his mind for a fraction of a second. He gasped in a harsh breath against the sensation, and he heard Charles cry out next to him, his hand gripping Erik’s tighter for a split second, and then it was over.

It was all over. For a moment he stood still, watching Shaw’s form crumple to the ground as Charles released his mind. The only sound in the disheveled cabin was Charles’s rough breathing. Then, slowly, Erik began to cry. What started out as a few silent tears escalated into gasping sobs. His chest heaved with every breath and tears fell unchecked down his cheeks. Once again, he felt like he was going to be sick.

“Let’s get you out of here,” Charles said quietly, directing Erik all the way through to the control room and out into the open sunshine of the Cuban beach. The others, including a wet Sean, were standing outside some distance away, guarding the still sleeping figures of Shaw’s old henchmen. Raven raised her head jerkily at the sign of movement from the hole in the submarine. She looked ready to race across the sand towards them. Erik didn’t think he could take another person’s presence. Charles was the only one he wanted right now.

He sank to his knees, his vision completely blurred by tears, and felt, rather than saw Charles fall to the sand beside him. The telepath’s reassuring arms wrapped around him, warmth radiating into his mind over the connection. Erik buried his face in Charles’s neck and shoulder, clutching tight to his back as he was held in a protective embrace.

“It’s alright,” Charles whispered, placing a sweet kiss to the hollow of Erik’s ear. “ _You’re safe now. It’s over._ ”

Erik’s breathing was just starting to slow back to normal when he felt and heard the first telltale _pop pop pop’s_ of the American and Russian’s missiles being fired.


	8. Chapter 8

Erik’s eyes shot open, every tendon and fibre of muscle in his body suddenly taut and ready for action. He stood swiftly, accidentally knocking into Charles, making the telepath gasp painfully, but Erik had no time to apologize. The thousands upon thousands of missile sang a terrifying, escalating symphony as they drew closer and closer. Erik could feel their metal vibrating minutely, and instinctively he latched onto it.

So, the humans had played their hand, just like he had told Charles they would. There could be no mistaking the significance of the sight before them- death rocketing ever closer. _Eradicate the threat before it can fight back,_ Erik thought ruefully. This scene was all too familiar to him.

“Erik!” Charles cried somewhere behind him. “Erik, do something, please!”

The missiles would hit their target in seconds. Erik thought of Charles and held up his hand, sending out his power. The missiles froze in midair. _Destroy them. Destroy the threat. Protect your fellow mutants. Protect Charles._ For one frightening, fleeting moment, Erik thought of turning them around- sending the projectiles back on the people who had tried to kill them all, had tried to kill Charles. But no. If he did that, he would lose Charles anyway. There had been enough bloodshed already. Erik curled his hand into a fist and the missiles turned in on themselves, crunching into useless balls of metal before falling, splashing into the sea.

Erik turned, looking behind him, searching out Charles’s gaze. Blue eyes bored into grey. Erik took a deep breath as the connection flared bright, relieved, and glowing with something that felt like fierce pride. Despite the current situation, Erik had to smile.

“Come on,” he said, holding out a hand, which Charles rushed forward to gladly take. “Let’s go home.”

~

After the beach, things had happened so quickly Erik had barely been able to keep up with what was going on. Charles had woken up the ex-members of the Hellfire Club, instructing Azazel to take them all back to the mansion. Whether or not the telepath had used his gifts to help persuade Azazel, Erik didn’t know, nor did he really care. Charles, being Charles, had offered to let them all stay at the mansion, explaining that it was probably one of the only safe places for mutants now that everyone knew they existed. Azazel, Angel, and the silent Janos, however, had all left almost as soon as Charles had stopped speaking.

Erik, through some miracle of clear-headedness had insisted that Charles go to a hospital to get his probably broken rib checked, and everyone had followed them through some kind of unspoken pact of fraternity. The doctor dismissed Charles with painkillers and the news that the rib was only cracked, so there was nothing they could do to set it and he had best not over-exert himself for a month or so. No one else had any major injuries, so they headed back home, Raven driving so Erik could stay plastered to Charles’s side in the back seat.

Dinner was a hushed affair, consisting of leftovers from the previous night. No one really felt like talking from a mixture of exhaustion and disbelief at what had happened over the course of the day. Under Erik’s supervision, Charles took some of the painkillers the doctor had given him. Both of them were too tired for their nightly chess game, so they went upstairs and dressed for bed, even though the last tendrils of sunlight hadn’t yet disappeared behind the horizon. Erik went to brush his teeth in the in-suite bathroom, but just as he was raising his toothbrush to his mouth, he froze, seeing his reflection in the mirror.

He set the toothbrush on the rim of the sink and just stared for a while. He had done it. He was finally free; but nothing seemed that different. Yes, the world was rid of Shaw, but now the humans were going to be actively searching for mutants, trying to round up all the so-called freaks. But here, with Charles, they had the mansion. Charles had told him about how he hoped to make it into a school to teach mutants to embrace their gifts, how he wanted to reach every single one of the people whose minds he had touched with Cerebro to let them know they weren’t alone. Erik smiled at himself in the mirror and noticed it was somewhat different; not mocking, with a hint of a private joke that had always been behind his smiles before. This toothy grin was genuinely happy.

“ _Everything alright?_ ” Charles asked lazily. Erik could tell the tiring day, combined with the calming effects of the drugs were beginning to take hold on Charles’s mind.

“ _I’m fine. Be in in a minute,_ ” Erik replied. He hastily finished brushing his teeth and returned to the bedroom, but Charles was already asleep, curved lightly on his side. Erik smiled again, despite the heaviness he felt throughout his body now that he saw how contentedly Charles was sleeping. Feeling his eyelids droop, he slid under the covers to curl carefully around the telepath’s frame, pressing a gentle kiss to his temple before pulling back to bury his nose in Charles’s hair.

Erik woke many hours later to Charles, groaning loudly, mumbling “Shite where did I put those bloody pills?” before reaching out a probing hand to his bedside table.

“Do you want some water?” Erik croaked blearily, blinking sleep from his eyes.

Charles rested a hand on his arm. “No, thank you, love, I have some left over from last night.”

The rattling of a pill bottle was soon followed with the sound of Charles swallowing and the clink of a glass being set down. When Erik opened his eyes next, Charles was laying back down facing him with a sparkle in his eye.

Sunshine filtered in through the half-curtained windows of the bedroom, casting dim light over the pale features before Erik. He ran a soft hand through Charles’s slightly mussed hair, and Charles smiled, leaning into the touch.

“Good morning,” he said brightly, reaching out to trail his fingers over Erik’s cheekbone.

Erik smiled before leaning in to brush their lips together gently. “ _Good morning._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone for reading, and to those of you who commented and left kudos. Sorry this last chapter was kind of late, but I had finals to finish. :) I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> As always, I own nothing. Beta'd by the spectacular dizzycalm.

**Author's Note:**

> Beta'd by the lovely and talented dizzycalm. It started off by a prompt at the kink meme about Erik and Charles and The Little Prince and kind of snowballed from there... I hope you like how it turned out! :)
> 
> As always, I don't own anything.


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